Getty Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr sits alongside Mike Brown.
The Golden State Warriors are set to take on the Sacramento Kings Friday night, in what could be a playoff preview. If the season ended today, the two teams would meet in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, with the Kings being the three seed and the Warriors being the six seed.
Friday’s meeting also sees old friend Mike Brown coach against his former team. Brown was a part of Golden State’s coaching team from the 2016-17 season, up until last year.
His former colleague, Dubs coach Steve Kerr had some kind words for Brown ahead of the April 7 meeting. He made the bold prediction that Brown will win the NBA’s Coach of the Year Award, after leading Sacramento to the postseason for the first time since 2006.
“It’s almost foregone conclusion that he’ll be Coach of the Year this year,” Kerr said via ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.
Kerr on Mike Brown: “It’s almost foregone conclusion that he’ll be Coach of the Year this year.”
The upcoming matchup between Golden State and Sacramento, marks the first of the new calendar year. In late 2022, the two teams squared of thrice, with the Warriors taking 2-of-3 from the Kings (you guessed it, the Dubs lost the lone road matchup).
Draymond Green Wants Warriors vs. Kings Playoff Series
Speaking of the Kings, Draymond Green recently picked them as his ideal first-round playoff-matchup for the Dubs. But, his reasoning had nothing to do with basketball.
Green cited the short distance between San Francisco and Sacramento as reasoning for wanting to face off against the Kings.
“I’m not upset if the standings shook out how they did today and we met Sacramento in the first round,” Green said on the March 28 episode of The Draymond Green Show. “Not because I think Sacramento is a weak team, because the travel is so much easier … The only place we can fly and get to in 45 minutes in the Western Conference is Sacramento.”
The star forward reiterated that his desire to meet the third-place Kings in the first round, was solely travel based.
“I said all that to say the reason why I said Sac is simply just because of the travel,” Green continued. “That’s a lot on your body. If we could bus ride an hour and ten minutes up the way like, I just think that’s much better for us.”
Green reminded fans that he’s confident in his Warriors, regardless of who they see in the spring.
“Now, Sac is playing well and very good team, but just from the travel, at the end of the day, I don’t really care who we play in the playoffs. I think we can win.”
Kendrick Perkins Warns Warriors of Kings Matchup
Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins wouldn’t agree with Green’s wishes of playing Sacramento. About a month ago, he went on a rant, saying that Golden State should fear the Kings, and that the Kings would end up in the Western Conference Finals.
“I’m going to say this right now,” Perk prefaced on the March 13 edition of ESPN’s First Take. “They’d better stay the hell away from the Sacramento Kings, because no matter how young that Kings group is, no matter how inexperience they be when it comes to the postseason, they have old souls… The Sacramento Kings are going to the Western Conference Finals. The Golden State Warriors, their championship days are over.”
“The Golden State Warriors, their championship days are OVER!”
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Steve Kerr Issues Strong Statement on Mike Brown Ahead of Warriors vs. Kings