Steve Kerr - Never Been More Proud To Represent My Country
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00:00But they put too much work in not to have a game like this
00:02We wouldn't want it any other way and it was a perfect time and for chef to come out and do what he did
00:06All right
00:06You are listening to 9570 Gabe KGM GFM in AC 1 San Francisco and Odyssey Sports Station always live on the free
00:13Odyssey app and joining us on the River Islands guest line the head coach of TV
00:18I say the head coach of your go to state Warriors Steve Kerr over the pond across the pond out there Paris coach
00:24What's happening, man? I don't know. Good afternoon. Good morning. What time is it out there?
00:30It's good. Good evening
00:32Six o'clock here
00:34So yeah, good to hear you guys and now what a game what a what an incredible competition to be part of it was
00:42it's just
00:44Stunning and now we gotta you know, we've got to get over it and get back at it tomorrow now
00:49No doubt about that
00:50I mean I was up off my couch and I'll Shasky's up off his couch and obviously the game was 12 o'clock out here
00:56Pacific Standard Time so it was a lot of smack talking going on
00:58I see mellow from the court side. He's talking smack bucked out of it. Just talking smack. They're hitting threes
01:03They get up by 17 and the game was so intense. You could fill it through the television screen
01:07I'm sure you could fill it right there on the sideline
01:09how would you compare that intensity say to a
01:12finals game a Western Conference finals game an Easter conference finals game because you've done both obviously been in the NBA finals and now
01:18Here with Team USA
01:20Compare that intensity that you felt yesterday compared to say an NBA playoff game
01:25Well, number one, it's it's a game seven obviously, you know with the format just you know
01:31every games an elimination game when you get to this point and so
01:36It becomes a game seven, but there's an added responsibility
01:40When you're playing for your country and representing your flag and I think there's definitely some pressure that comes with that
01:47But I think it's also what our guys
01:50Sign up for you know, I know what it's what why I signed up, you know
01:55It's the ultimate
01:57competition and
01:59To to to be a part of it and feel that game. Obviously we were able to pull it out
02:05but you know, this is gonna go down as one of the all-time great Olympic Games and
02:12Our guys were just incredible. I mean under that kind of pressure to perform the way they did was just amazing
02:18I mean the end of that game and I know this is someone we've gone to war with you know
02:23with the Warriors and and relative in basketball terms LeBron James the enemy of the Bay Area and to see him and Steph
02:30Embrace the way they did at the end of that game with Kevin Durant right near them
02:35I felt like I was watching
02:37Basketball history and as someone who's been in the game as long as you have and you have the perspective that you have
02:42I mean that was one of those seminal special moments and to have the United States flag kind of
02:48Metaphorically draped over the whole thing. It felt iconic coach
02:53It was it was
02:56I'm with you, you know to be able to coach LeBron rather than coach against him is it's so amazing and
03:05You know just to see them all together
03:09Performing but but you know sharing the ball and competing together fighting the way they have to fight
03:15you know, these are
03:17These are all future Hall of Famers and it's just so fun to watch them day after day
03:23Prepare for this and be so engaged and also enjoying the process so much
03:28These guys are are
03:31Incredible and they're obviously they're used to you know, trying to beat each other
03:34So I think they take a lot of pleasure and you know being on the same team for once
03:39Yeah, those guys scored the last 13 points of the game
03:41They defended her butts off there in the fourth quarter as you guys rally from the 17 point deficit
03:46Hey coach Steve Kerr here on the River Islands gas line and obviously the big question, you know, it's coming Steve the rotations rotations rotations
03:53Everybody's talking about him. I did notice you said the heck with the rotations in the fourth quarter
03:57All right, LeBron. All right, Katie Joel Embiid who's getting a lot of heat
04:02He played great yesterday and Devin Booker who's been very selfless. How difficult is it to figure out rotations?
04:08We've got a litany of stars like you do right now coach
04:11Yeah, it's it's a great problem to have you know to have so much talent
04:18You know, I would never complain about that
04:21obviously
04:22But it makes it difficult on on some of the players, you know, Joelle
04:27Sat out a game against South Sudan could be like different matchups. Jason Tatum is
04:33You know and not played in either Serbia game for the same reason and it even saying those words
04:40out loud
04:42You know sounds crazy. These are these are first-team all-nba guys, but Cuba's very different and
04:49Each game is different and we have to adapt and adjust accordingly
04:53This is not an NBA season where it's, you know, eight months of managing people
04:59it's a sprint and we have one more game to go and
05:04You know the rotation tomorrow will look a little different and you know, we'll just
05:09you know, we'll just we'll keep doing what we have to do to win each individual game and every one of these guys is
05:17absolutely capable of
05:19Carrying carrying the team on it on a given night. So it's really fun to fun to watch
05:23Yeah
05:24it really is fun to why I mean Joel and beads just like he was going crazy after that dunk and he was like
05:29Flexing and Kevin Durant is screaming and it means so much to all of these guys like you can clearly see that Steph's expressing
05:37But what would a gold medal mean to you coach
05:42Hard to explain it's a great question and I don't really know
05:47But I can tell you that I've never been more proud
05:51Than I am right now, you know to represent my country to be American
05:58To be part of the team
06:00And everybody's watching at home and and see the flag and the you know, sing the anthem before each game and
06:08It's an amazing feeling. It's one that
06:12It's really hard to to find this anywhere, you know, and and
06:17that's the beauty of the Olympics is you know, each each person involved every athlete in every sport as
06:24a unique story and
06:26and I think love and
06:29Appreciation for the opportunity that we that we all have as Americans, you know to pursue our dreams and it's
06:37It's pretty cool. You've been through a lot of battles with Steph Curry
06:41obviously for championships together right here in the Bay Area with the Golden State Warriors and he's got a couple MVPs but to see
06:46Steph smiling and the intensity he played with yesterday and he's had his struggles in pool play in the Olympic Games
06:51We're waiting for this game to see him have that moment playing in his first Olympics
06:55How cool is that for you? Because you've seen this guy grow up for over a decade coach
07:00Yeah
07:02LeBron mentioned it in his interview that you guys played that club just a little while ago
07:07You know the preparation that Steph puts in every single day
07:12It's just remarkable and it's one of the best parts of this experience is to get a behind-the-scenes look
07:20That you know all the other guys LeBron could have been talking about himself the way he prepares
07:26We're getting to know the whole group
07:29and seeing them work seeing them operate you get a sense of why they are who they are and
07:36I've always known exactly who Steph is because you know, just being with him every day, but none of that surprised me last night
07:44his preparation his focus his genuine care for
07:49You know what happens and his teammates and the results and he's just an incredible extraordinary human being and
07:57And that that was a yeah, that was a firework show last night
08:01I mean I can make the argument is one of the best games
08:04He's had since that game seven against the Kings a couple years ago
08:07It's just phenomenal maybe even more impressive given the stakes and everything that's going on coach
08:12Let's smile and laugh a little cuz I mean you guys are making us all so proud
08:15But I'm sitting on at home and I'm on the internet watching and Draymond is tweeting about lineups and who needs to come in
08:21Is he texting you during the middle of the game?
08:25No
08:27Yeah, yeah, nor am I looking at his Twitter feed
08:32We're very we're very comfortable with the decisions. We're making. Thank you. I'm sure coach
08:36Paul is passing me the iPhone saying hey, here's Draymond the iPhone. He wants to FaceTime you coach
08:41I
08:46Forget I remember 96 in Atlanta and the Olympic Games as a kid. I'm watching them like wow
08:50This is fascinating track and field volleyball to swimming or whatnot
08:54Have you been able to venture out from your preparation of getting team USA ready to play in France's and the Serbians of the world?
09:00Have you been able to check out any other events?
09:04Just one I went to women's volleyball indoor
09:08Game and I'm gonna go Sunday to their gold medal match
09:12Which I'm really excited about my daughter played volleyball account and loves the sport and so I you know watched her play
09:20Throughout junior high high school. It's a great sport. We have a great team
09:26really fun to watch so
09:29Everything else, you know, I've just been too busy
09:32You know preparing for the next game and then traveling and and yeah, we were going up to Leo for the first three games and
09:38We you know, we haven't really had a ton of time
09:40but I think most of the players are getting out, you know, occasionally to events and really enjoying it and
09:48I'm really hoping to just you know, wrap this thing up tomorrow night
09:51You know win a gold medal and and be able to really soak it all in on Sunday
09:56Yeah, I think we're all hoping for that one and that game against Serbia is going to be a big one
10:00For that one and that game against Serbia is gonna go down as an all-timer the feeble rules though
10:05They're a little different than the NBA rules
10:07Is there something that maybe you like about the nuance of the feeble rules versus NBA that you'd like to see adopted by the NBA?
10:16Yeah, I like being able to stand in the middle of the key defensively and not be called for three seconds
10:23I think it's just it's just basketball, you know, it's like well, I I never really understood
10:29Why if some guy who can't shoot is standing 30 feet away from the rim
10:36Why we should have to stand outside the paint
10:39I you know, it would be interesting to see what would happen in the NBA if they did adopt, you know
10:46zone defense allowing all zone defenses
10:50But I do like the feeble game it's different 40 minutes is good to rather than 48
10:58It makes for a tighter game. It makes for a more competitive game
11:01I think in a lot of ways so I think we can learn a lot from the international game
11:05Wow, 40 minutes is interesting
11:07I kind of like that coach 10-minute quarters
11:09I can warm up to that and we'll be able to get to sleep a lot earlier their nights there
11:13I'm getting ready getting ready for French coach big Wimby and they have Rudy Gold there. How do you attack this team?
11:19They're long and with the feeble rules
11:20It seems like they have an advantage just with the way they could just stand in the paint as you just mentioned coach
11:25Going up against France what's impressed you so far about them getting to the gold medal game
11:30Well, they completely changed their team, you know a couple games ago by not playing go bear
11:36They took him out of the lineup. They're playing smaller and faster
11:42They're playing they're more athletic players and their defense has really kicked in here in the last last couple games
11:50So we're gonna have our hands full obviously, they'll be playing on their own floor big crowd
11:57But we're excited. It wasn't what an incredible opportunity
12:01Bob behind the scenes has Steph expressed to you
12:04I mean he said it out loud so many times
12:06but he looks like he's having the time of his life and I'm just really happy for him to to have this moment that
12:11Because of injuries and other circumstances before he's just never been at the opportunity to play on the Olympic team
12:17It feels like he's really embracing it
12:19Yeah, yeah, he said to me last week, you know, how excited he is to be
12:25back in the mix, you know, and
12:28Obviously last season was tough for all of us not making the playoffs
12:32You know, this is a special feeling to advance to a stage like this
12:38With a competitive
12:41nature like steps, I mean this is what he lives for and
12:45So he's so excited to be as he said back in the mix back in the championship picture and
12:51trying to win
12:53Something special. He's he's got he's absolutely having the time of his life
12:57well
12:58we had the time of our lives watching you rally from a 17 year team of course Ronnie from a 17 point deficit there and
13:04Going to the fourth quarter to have 15 a fourth quarter was one for the ages cuz we enjoyed and we can't wait to watch
13:10You guys when when I go tomorrow against France at 1230 Pacific Standard Time coach
13:14Thanks so much for joining us out in Paris, France. You didn't have to do this. I know your time is precious
13:18We really appreciate it
13:20All right, you got it. Thanks a lot guys
13:23Head coach Steve Kerr here on a morning roll courtesy of the River Islands