Steve Kerr explains Boston Celtics Silver Lining and Why He's 'Blown Away'

The Golden State Warriors head coach had some glowing compliments for the Celtics ahead of their Wednesday night matchup.

Nov 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reacts during the first half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics have exceeded everyone’s expectations this season. At this point, with 14 games left in the season, the surprise should be giving way to the simple understanding that this Celtics team is just, plain, good. 

But there's a lingering aftertaste to the sweetness of blowing past the expectations by this much. For Celtics fans, listening to the competition gush about just how good the team is will never get old. 

“When we played them a month ago, I was just blown away by how good they were, the spacing, the execution,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said before taking on the Celtics Wednesday night. “They played so well together and that was without Jayson [Tatum] even.”

Kerr says the situation presented a silver lining to a tough situation for Boston, which played a big role in how good they are. 

“I think that time without the expectations really gave them a chance to play some of their younger guys, to kind of lay in the weeds a little bit,” Kerr said. “Nobody was really talking a whole lot about them and that's kind of a nice position to be in if you're used to being a favorite year after year. It feels to me like they really took advantage of it, developed some of the young guys, really hammered home their expectations for those guys and roles.”

One opponent who has a good feel for how things work in Boston is Kristaps Porzingis, who finally makes his return to the city tonight. At the team’s shoot-around earlier today, he told reporters that the coaching, along with the situation, helped push Boston to this next level. 

“I think it was a good situation for them to be in,” Porzingis said. “One, it was extra motivation, like a chip on your shoulder. And two, you had no expectations at the same time, so it was a perfect situation, and they're kind of using that to the maximum. I think Joe [Mazzulla] has turned up a few more levels of the craziness, probably, with the young guys and he’s squeezing everything he can out of them. And look at that group. They're playing super-well.” 

What’s really incredible is how Boston has a chance to win 50 games this season. The Celtics and Knicks both have 45 wins, but Boston has a two-game edge in the loss column. That sets up a dogfight between the two teams for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. They still have one more matchup on April 9 which might be the game that determines the final seeding.