This season has been all about winning for Steve Kerr.
The former Palisades High basketball player is enjoying unprecedented success in his first year as head coach of the Golden State Warriors. In November he led the team to a franchise-best start and on Saturday night he broke the NBA record for wins by a rookie coach with his 63rd in the Warriors’ 123-110 victory at Dallas.
More important to him than the individual milestone, however, was the fact that Golden State clinched home court advantage throughout the playoffs. In the locker room afterwards, leading scorer Stephen Curry gave him the game ball and joined his teammates in giving Kerr an unexpected Gatorade bath.
Kerr surpassed the previous mark of 62 wins set by Paul Westphal with the Phoenix Suns in 1992-93. State signed Kerr to a five-year, $25-million deal in the off-season.
“The ball was great,” said Kerr, who signed a five-year, $25-million deal in the off season. “The Gatorade … not so much. It was still pretty fun. I wasn’t really thinking about the significance of the record. Those guys were. How lucky am I to coach these guys in my first year?”
— Steve Galluzzo
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