After a heated argument between Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and forward Draymond Green during the third quarter of Monday’s game with the Orlando Magic, Green left the bench and headed for the locker room. On Wednesday, Kerr admitted that the situation was not his “finest hour.”
Following the game, Kerr admitted that he and Green “had it out a little bit.” But claimed that the situation was private and that he wouldn’t speak any more on the matter, though he changed his tune on Wednesday.
“Monday night was not my finest hour, and that was a time I needed to be calm in the huddle,” Kerr said after the Warriors’ Wednesday practice. “I regret my actions in that exchange. I apologized to [Green], he apologized to me. We both apologized to the team.
“These things, they happen — especially when you get two incredibly competitive people like Dray and me. So, over the 12 years we’ve been together, this has happened occasionally, and I’m not proud of it.”
Green did return to the bench prior to the start of the fourth quarter, but did not re-enter the game, a contest that Golden State was leading 89-83 at the start of the final frame en route to a 120-97 victory.
As Kerr mentioned, he and Green have been together for 12 seasons, and while “tempers spilled over,” according to Green on Monday night, Kerr did not waver on his support for the veteran after the situation.
“There’s a long history of that here because we understand each other, and I understand his power,” Kerr said. “There are four banners out there, and obviously a lot of people played important roles in that, but I’ve said this before, and I truly believe it: I don’t think we have any without him. That’s how much he impacts winning. So his ability to channel that passion, that emotion, that raw rage that he has is a key component to what makes us successful. And what I said about the other night, I didn’t channel my own raw emotion and rage, of which there is plenty.
“We are far more alike than anyone would ever realize. So yeah, this is not totally uncommon. I would say this hasn’t happened in a few years, this kind of a divide and a blow-up, but in our 12 years together, it’s not the first time. And we’ve always, always found a way to not only bounce back, but to make strides as a result.”
The Warriors (15-15) have won two straight games to get back to .500 and will host this year’s top draft pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks (12-19) on Christmas at 5 p.m. ET.