The Warriors won the fourth game of the series by a score of 101-98. The time is 2:1.
Golden State Warriors associate head coach Mike Brown received a call from head coach Steve Kerr.
Kerr told Brown that he might need to coach the fourth game of the series because he was not feeling well. Thirty minutes later, Kerr registered a positive COVID-19 test and gave Brown the reins for the game.
The Warriors were already emotional when it happened. Brown was announced as the next head coach of the Kings. Adreian Payne, Draymond Green's college teammate and best friend, was shot and killed in Florida. Kerr had a positive COVID-19 test.
Brown said it was an emotional day.
At this point in the year, you win ballgames, and it was a tough night for us. You win ballgames regardless of how you get there.
The Warriors took a commanding 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series with a 101-98 victory over the Grizzles.
It was not pretty. Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco compared it to a football game, where the Warriors kept handing the ball off to their fullback to get them down to the red zone before kicking a field goal to win it.
The Warriors had a slow and sloppy start. The ball was coughed up six times in the first quarter. The lead was 15-8 after the first quarter. Otto Porter Jr. finally hit a 3-point shot in the first half. The Warriors were within striking distance.
Brown said that they have been frantic to start the games, but that they got good looks once they figured out that part.
Stephen Curry was the point guard for the Warriors.
Curry said there was some motivation behind the fact that you were still within three or four possessions when you came into the fourth quarter with no offensive flow.
The Warriors were trailing by eight points with just over a minute to go in the game. Golden State scored 12 unanswered points over the next three minutes. Eight of Curry's 32 points came from the free throw line.
Although he led the game in scoring, Curry's night wouldn't necessarily be categorized as "good", as he finished shooting 10-of-25 from the floor, including 4-of-14 from beyond the 3-point line. Klay Thompson was 6-of-20 from the field and Jordan Poole was 4-of-12. Both Thompson and Poole did not hit a 3-pointer. The Warriors have struggled to find an offensive rhythm all series, with the exception of their Game 3 shooting onslaught.
Curry doesn't think about the past or dwell on it too hard, he always thinks about the next thing that will happen in a positive way for him, whether it's a made shot or the right pass.
Brown credited Green and Iguodala for being the team's emotional leaders despite Curry being the one who sealed the win.
I need you guys tonight. Brown said he was going to lean on those guys. We found a way, even though Draymond was on the floor.
Brown said that Iguodala or Green did not give a specific pep talk or piece of advice but that their general calmness was what settled the Warriors.
It gave everyone else confidence when veterans like Draymond and Andre were reassuring the guys of the highs and lows of the playoffs.
The best thing Green could do for himself was to channel his emotions into the Warriors win.
Green said it was great to lose himself in the game for 48 minutes. My college roommate, my teammate, my brother, my little brother. The win helps, but it is very emotional. It sucks.
His raw emotions set in after Green tipped the ball away from Jaren Jackson Jr. as he went up for a 3-point attempt to tie the game with less than 10 seconds to go.
He would not speak at the news conference. He said he would go to his house to make a recording of the show, so that he could stop if he felt the need to cry. Green and his fiancée, Hazel Renee, will be donating $100,000 to a fund in Payne's name.
As for the Warriors, they will travel to Memphis on Tuesday without Kerr, and Brown will continue to serve as acting head coach as they try to close out their series against the Grizzlies in Game 5 on Wednesday.
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