Kerr loves play-in tourney — as long as Dubs aren’t in it originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Steve Kerr joked Tuesday that his appreciation of the NBA’s play-in tournament will depend entirely upon on if and where the Warriors finish among the eligible teams.
“If we’re ninth or 10th [in the Western Conference], I would love it,” Kerr quipped to reporters in a video conference. “If we’re seventh or eighth, I think it’s total bullcrap.”
The Warriors’ goal remains to bypass the play-in entirely, preferring to be one of the conference’s top six teams rather than needing to win a game (as the seventh or eighth seed) or two (as the ninth or 10th seed) in order to simply qualify for the first round of the playoffs.
Golden State entered Tuesday as the No. 7 team in the West, a half-game back of the Denver Nuggets in sixth and a game back of the Portland Trail Blazers in fifth. The Warriors and Blazers play Wednesday night in Portland.
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If Kerr and the Warriors have their way, they’ll be able to enjoy the new format from afar. Independent of his team, the Warriors coach truly is a fan of the NBA’s changes to the postseason.
“I like the format,” Kerr said. “I think the league’s done a good job creating more interest for the teams in those last slots, keeping more fan bases engaged. I like the idea that the lower seeds have to win two games [and] the higher seeds only have to win one. I think that’s a great compromise.”
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