Golden State Warriors were not a ‘championship team’ admits coach Steve Kerr after playoff exit
- Seb Sternik
- 13 May 2023
The Los Angeles Lakers will continue their playoff run against Denver Nuggets.
The playoff campaign came to a crushing end for the Golden State Warriors who were beaten by the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
The Lakers sealed the 4-2 series victory in style as LeBron James' men powered to a 122-101 success.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was disappointed with the outcome, but hailed the 'guts and fortitude' on display from his side.
He said: "To be fair I think this team ultimately maxed out.
"We were barely in the playoff picture most of this year. This is not a championship team."
He added: "We did a pretty damn good job of finding something here over the last month. We came close to recapturing what we had, but we didn't quite get there.
"We didn't feel like a championship team all year, but we had the guts and the fortitude to believe."
Warriors' star player Steph Curry put 32 points on the Lakes in the final game, though his individual effort was not enough to prevent the loss.
"No competitor believes (you're done) until you're proven you're not a championship team," Curry said. "And that's what getting beat in a playoff series is."
He later added: "From training camp to now, it was just the reality we were living in.
"We were trying to keep things positive and optimistic around what we were trying to accomplish this year, but there's also an understanding that this is not good enough."
While the Warriors look ahead to the new season, the Lakers will turn their attention to the Denver Nuggets who powered past the Phoenix Suns.
On the other side of the playoff picture, Miami Heat will take on either the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers.
