Warriors’ travel issue was worst Kerr has experienced in NBA originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors rattled off their eighth consecutive road win despite a tremendously arduous trek from New York City to Toronto, leading to Golden State not arriving at its hotel until 8 a.m. following mechanical issues with its plane that left the team stuck on the tarmac for hours overnight.
Following the Warriors’ convincing 120-105 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday at Scotiabank Arena, coach Steve Kerr shared that the delay Golden State faced is the worst he has experienced in his NBA career — one that spans over three decades.
“Last night was brutal; that’s the worst travel circumstances I’ve ever been involved with in the NBA,” Kerr told reporters.
“I think we got in bed at eight o’clock this morning. The guys slept during the day, woke up and came to the game. So it was pretty rough. But I’m proud of the group for the way they competed, like I said after that slow start — which was understandable — we really locked in and did a good job.”
“Last night was brutal, that’s the worst travel circumstances I’ve ever been involved with in the NBA.”
Kerr on the Warriors travel issues getting from New York to Toronto pic.twitter.com/DVlqruofZe
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 2, 2024
Despite a sluggish start that led to Kerr burning two timeouts less than five minutes into the first quarter, the Warriors found their groove with a dominant third quarter to register their 13th win in their last 16 games.
“I think our guys were asleep still.”
Kerr detailing why he used two timeouts early in the first quarter of tonight’s win 😅 pic.twitter.com/wikTPeFCAZ
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 2, 2024
Draymond Green weighed in after Friday’s win, sharing that the hurdles presented by the travel delays weren’t going to prevent the Warriors from taking care of business up North.
“No excuses,” Green told reporters. “Nobody wanted to hear an excuse if we lost, so I think we did a good job making sure we took care of what we needed to take care of and got the job done.”
“No excuses. Nobody wanted to hear an excuse if we lost, so I think we did a good job making sure we took care of what we needed to take care of and got the job done.”
Draymond on the Warriors securing a win after difficult travel delays on the way to Toronto pic.twitter.com/wPJT1bjcqq
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 2, 2024
Steph Curry drained seven 3-pointers in Toronto after hitting eight on Thursday night in the Warriors’ 110-99 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Jonathan Kuminga delivered a couple of highlight-reel dunks, helping send a powerful message that Golden State cannot be overlooked moving forward despite their No. 9 playoff seed in the Western Conference postseason picture.
The Warriors wrap up their four-game road trip on Sunday when they face the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
