Draymond Green's one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team signals that the Warriors clearly are taking this issue seriously. That didn't stop Steve Kerr from incorporating some humor into his pregame press conference Tuesday night.
In discussing the tiff between Green and Kevin Durant that resulted in Green's suspension, the Warriors coach drew upon his personal experience, namely that of the famous practice skirmish he and Michael Jordan once got into back during their days with the Chicago Bulls.
"When you play at a really high level, and you're competitive, things happen," said Kerr. "Every team that I've ever been on, things have happened."
Wait for it …
"By the way, I kicked MJ's ass."
Kerr's quip resulted in a big laugh from the assembled media, and not just because his memory of the event might have been slightly embellished. It was timed perfectly, as the tone of the press conference had been far less lighthearted up to that point.
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Kerr often resorts to humor to extinguish the inevitable doldrums that perk up over the course of a long season. It's one of the elements of his personality that endears him to both players and media alike.
While he remained steadfast in his decision to suspend Green, Kerr also downplayed the noise surrounding it.
"I think we'll be fine," he said. "We're a team that goes through stuff just like everybody else. Things happen. Bumps in the road. You've got to move forward."
With Green's suspension decided, that process of moving forward has begun. And despite the recent tumult, Kerr is confident that the two players at the center of this controversy will be able to mend fences in short order.
"They've won championships together," he said. "They've been teammates now for ... this is the third season. They were teammates on the Olympic team. So, you can draw your own conclusions."
[RATTO: Warriors show Draymond Green where the third rail is by suspending him]
