Defending Steve Kerr

Oh this needs to be a @ClutchPoints graphic ASAP Get it done.

Since Friday, Chase Center has seen… - Valkyires win a championship - Golden State teams go 3-0 - Steph dropped Luka - Draymond ejection - Warriors’ 17-point comeback win Incredible aura within those walls right now 🔥

Proof that our algorithm influences what we think “the masses” think It’s not. It’s just the algo feeding you what you want My TL - and more importantly everyone in real life - is hopping. The chip has filled all my real life convos the past 2 days The Bay Area is BUZZING

Big picture thought #4 (final) - Can an NBA team take the same blueprint and run with it? This “Moneyball” mindset Take defense-first players on the margins, create a tight-knit culture, add one All-Star, elite coaching, and see how far you get.

Big picture thought #3 - This was 100% a team of destiny They prob should’ve lost Game 3 vs Wings down 16 in do-or-die game They prob should’ve lost some of the Aces games And they prob would’ve lost Finals Game 7 had Gabby not detonated That’s incredible mental toughness

Big picture thought #2 - Will expansion teams like the Cleveland Sirens follow the same blueprint? Defense over everything. Will other WNBA teams start retooling with this philosophy? Bc a team with no All-WNBA players just won the chip. So there’s hope for literally anyone

Big picture thought #1 - Will this influence roster building moving forward in the WNBA? Valks just proved there are a LOT of players being overlooked, who can blossom with right coaching/culture Will there be new investments in scouting departments?

The Valkyries proved that a defense-first team CAN win a championship. No dominant scoring center like A’ja Wilson No elite scoring guards like Sabrina Ionescu or Caitlin Clark And tbh, the offense was ugly at times. But they made their opponents’ life uglier.

Lessons ALL sports teams can take from Valkyries: - Defense wins games - No egos. Some got benched. Everyone bought in - Coaching matters. Natalie is both a psycho in film study and empowers her players. - Community support. Ballhalla may be best atmosphere I’ve ever seen.

I have the utmost respect for CP3 He actively supported Natalie Nakase (former Clippers asst) and the Valks… He mentored Veronica Burton, had film sessions with her, etc… Was a big reason for Burton being an elite floor general… And culminated in the Valks winning a title.

5th chip for me Never gets old. Will be 6 once the 49ers can conquer the substation…

Ballhalla is 1 of 1 I ain’t ever seen ear-deafening chants to hype their team AFTER a Finals loss in G2 They even cheer after a first missed FT from their own team… to encourage them on the 2nd And now they - and the Valkyries - are champions forever 🏆

In 2022 as Lacob was lifting the Larry O’Brien, if you’d said he’d be lifting another championship trophy in 4 years, I might not have believed you He knows how to run an org I’ll give him that.

Those who watch film understood this When JK played his role, the Warriors actually did well. They had a stretch where they were winning, JK was doing all the little things… But it was short lived. JK wants to be prime LeBron without having mastered his own role

This was the episode they had SNL cast members on Sesame Street I’m strongly willing to bet they wrote these weekend update jokes So we’re comparing SNL writers to… SNL writers

Those JK-Lendeborg comparisons will run wild as the szn goes Why didn’t JK have this freedom? The answer lies in the film. For those who study/watch every game, it’s night and day what Yaxel and JK do on the court Would take a 30 min film sesh to break it all down

The Warriors have a chance to do the funniest thing possible.

Seems they’re targeting the Valks’ offensive engines Canada had that dirty hit on Gabby’s knee And Hayes has been a scoring machine Maybe it’s premeditated, maybe it’s just heat of moment “this person is valuable I’m going to take them out” type of dirty. Either way…

Couple of thoughts 1) Angel fans are used to winning. She won a title in college, Unrivaled, even World Cup. They’re not used to being graceful in losing 2) Flipped for ATL fans. For Hawks, Dream, Falcons, only title was the ‘58 Hawks. They’re not used to being graceful in wins

If the refs want the Valkyries as champs… Then Atlanta wouldn’t be +52 in FTA this series. And they wouldn’t have more free throws in every game so far, which they do Why risk giving the Dream THAT many more FTs? A house divided against itself cannot stand.