Arizona Wildcats legend Steve Kerr continues mystique coaching Golden State to NBA Finals

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Steve Kerr smiles in response to Golden State fans cheering for him after the Warriors’ Western Conference championship over Houston (ESPN screen shot)

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ESPN NBA analyst Doug Collins, an ASU assistant in Steve Kerr’s freshman season with the Arizona Wildcats in 1983-84, summed up Kerr’s life of extreme glory and hardship appropriately in about a minute tonight.

“I’ve known Steve for a long time,” Collins said on ESPN after Kerr’s Golden State Warriors defeated Houston 104-90 to win the Western Conference championship.

“I’ve known him when he was at Arizona and his father had just been assassinated in Beirut. The things he went through … I’ve seen him go through a horrible knee injury. … I’ve seen him as a player finally find his way in the NBA to win five championships. He’s a champion whatever he’s done.”

Collins was at McKale Center on Jan. 20, 1984, two days after Kerr’s father Malcolm Kerr was murdered by Islamic militants. Steve cried before tipoff and then delivered his best game as an Arizona freshman, making five of seven shots against the Sun Devils.

Kerr, a member of the U.S. national team coached by Lute Olson, suffered what was feared to be a career-ending knee injury in the 1986 World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. He tore the medial and anterior cruciate ligaments. After a nine-month rehabilitation, he returned to the court as a senior and led the Wildcats along with Sean Elliott to the 1988 Final Four.

Kerr lasted 15 years in the NBA when nobody thought he could get past one. He won five NBA titles with Michael Jordan and the Bulls and Tim Duncan and the Spurs.

Now, as a rookie head coach, Kerr will try to win another title with Stephen Curry as his MVP.

“He went into being a general manager (with the Suns in 2007) and they were in the conference finals with he and (current Golden State assistant) Alvin Gentry,” Collins, an NBA coaching veteran of 11 years, continued. “He’s now come to coach in the NBA finals. He’s one of those guys … as a broadcaster, he was as good as there was … so I mean there’s nothing that Steve has not done well.

“But he’s paid his dues along the way. I think sometimes we see nights like this and think, ‘Wow, what a bed of roses.’ He’s had his share of heartache along the way too. I’m happy for Steve. He’s a good friend.”

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Per Elias, this will be only the 2nd time in NBA history that rookie head coaches have met in the Finals #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/XzkgU2MPMy

— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 28, 2015

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“I mean there’s nothing that Steve has not done well. But he’s paid his dues along the way. I think sometimes we see nights like this and think, ‘Wow, what a bed of roses.’ He’s had his share of heartache along the way too. I’m happy for Steve.”
— ESPN analyst Doug Collins commenting about Steve Kerr after the Golden State Warriors clinched a spot in the NBA Finals on Wednesday night

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Kerr, a former TNT and CBS analyst for NBA and NCAA games, and fellow rookie coach David Blatt will match wits against each other in the NBA Finals when the series with Cleveland starts on June 4.

In typical Kerr fashion, he opened his postgame press conference congratulating Houston coach Kevin McHale and the Rockets and expressed his thoughts for the Houston residents enduring a flood there. He also spoke about a 105-year-old woman named “Sweetie” who is an ardent Golden State fan.

How could you not like the guy?

A reporter asked Kerr before the game how he handles the nervous energy while trying to coach the Warriors to their first NBA title since 1975.

“We all feel the competitive desire to win,” Kerr said. “There’s a lot at stake. So as a coach you get that same feeling without the outlet that comes from running around (on the court). It’s different. It’s a different feeling. It’s great to feel it.

“That’s kind of why I got back into the competitive side of the game after being in TV the last four years. I wanted to feel this and wanted to be in the mix, be in the fire and feel all the emotions that go with it.”

Along with Kerr on his continued mystical ride are former Arizona players Luke Walton, Bruce Fraser and Andre Iguodala.

Walton and Fraser are assistant coaches and Iguodala is one of Kerr’s top reserves.

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Steve Kerr: "Andre Iguodala might have had the greatest six‑point game I've ever seen in my life.” Iguodala on Harden was a big difference.

— Scott Howard-Cooper (@SHowardCooper) May 28, 2015

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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He has also written articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.