A few short moments after his Golden State Warriors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in an NBA Finals series that ended 4-0, head coach Steve Kerr kept things frank about what he expected the outcome of this series to be. Long story short: he already knew that he’d be touching that Larry O’Brien trophy for the second time in a row.
According to Rachel Nichols of ESPN Kerr praised the determination and power behind coach TyRonn Lue and LeBron James’s efforts with the Cavs, but was ultimately surprised that the Eastern Conference squad even made it to the Finals to face Golden State.
“The fact that they got here surprised me, frankly. Watching them, it didn't seem like they would have enough,” Kerr said according to Nichols. “We had more talent than they did, and talent wins in this league.”
According to a revelation made by LeBron James the same evening though, that praise may be warranted as he admitted to punching a black board after Cleveland’s Game 1 loss. According to James, he’d been playing the last three games with a broken hand.
“I let the emotions get the best of me, and pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand,” LeBron told reporters.
Naturally, not everyone is buying the explanation, pegging it more as an excuse, with many comically questioning the veracity of the revelation considering his ability to carry that heavy-looking bag that he sported when he dashed out on reporters during the series opener’s post game conference.