The Golden State Warriors haven't looked pretty as of late, losing their last five games after falling in a close contest to the New York Knicks on Sunday. Additionally, the injuries have continued to pile up, and with just 15 games left in the season, time was running out for their season outlook to change.
However, if any opponent could have given them the opportunity for a pick-me-up game, it was their foes on Monday: the Washington Wizards. Just six days earlier, the same Wizards team gave up 83 points to the Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo, the second-most points ever scored in an NBA game.
Even with the Warriors battered, the second-worst team in the NBA still stood no chance. Behind fantastic offensive performances from Kristaps Porzingis and De'Anthony Melton, the Warriors finally picked up a win, 125-117.
Steve Kerr Earns 600th Career Win
Just a day after Steve Kerr won an Oscar for his involvement in a documentary short film, All The Empty Rooms, Kerr made some more history in the basketball world.
With this win over the Wizards, Kerr earned the 600th win in his career as a head coach. Though he was on the cusp for over a week, it's great to see Kerr finally surpass that mark.
"I was blessed from the day I took this job with incredible talent with Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) and Andre (Iguodala) and Andrew Bogut and down down the list ... All these guys are just amazing, and so I owe the honor to incredible talent and a great organization. Just to work for the Warriors, to be part of this amazing group of people that Joe Lacob and Peter Guber put together. Just to be a part of this, I'm so blessed, and most organizations are not this strong and this aligned, and I'm very, very lucky."
Kerr Joins Elite Group Of Coaches
The win vaults Kerr into a legendary group of NBA coaches to reach that mark in their careers. He is now the 28th coach in NBA history to achieve 600 career wins, and only the sixth one to have coached in the 2020's, including current coaches Doc Rivers, Rick Carlisle, and Erik Spoelstra.
Additionally, the speed at which Kerr achieved this feat ranks him in an even more exclusive class.
In his 12th season in the NBA, this was just Kerr's 943rd game coached in the NBA. That makes him the fourth-fastest coach to his 600 wins, only bested by three Hall of Famers: Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, and Gregg Popovich.
"It's surreal to hear my name in that group," Kerr said of the news.
It's been a rocky season for the Warriors, to say the least, but this is no doubt a cause for celebration and recognition of the fantastic work Kerr has done during his time with the Warriors.