The Warriors came up just short, but Kerr loved that they didn't back down.
The Golden State Warriors keep getting knocked down, but Steve Kerr has nothing but love for the group that keeps getting back up.
Golden State fell 110-107 to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, and the loss stung even more because the Warriors had built a 21-point lead before watching it disappear.
It was the team's fifth straight defeat, their longest losing streak of the season, dropping them to 32-35 on the year.
The Knicks improved to 44-25 with the comeback win.
Kerr's Postgame Words
Despite all of the pain that came with another close loss, Kerr did not hold back when talking about his players after the game.
"Could not ask for anything more," Kerr said. "These guys are so fun to coach. They're playing so hard together. I just want them to be rewarded for their efforts."
It was an emotional response from a coach who has watched his team fight through one of the toughest stretches of his time in Golden State.
The Warriors were missing eight players on Sunday, including Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford, and Seth Curry.
Curry has now missed 17 straight games with a knee injury, and the team has been without roughly $190 million in salary on the sideline.
Golden State rolled out their 34th different starting lineup of the season against New York, and the group still managed to jump out to a big early lead before things fell apart in the second quarter.
Young Players Stepping Up
Even with the loss, the effort from Golden State's young core was hard to ignore.
Brandin Podziemski led the way with 25 points and six assists, continuing a stretch where he has looked like one of the team's most reliable options while averaging 12.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game on the season.
Quinten Post set a career-high with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting while being listed as questionable with an ankle injury before the game.
Gui Santos added 20 points and scored 11 of those in the fourth quarter as the Warriors made one final push, and his play has been a bright spot during this rough stretch as he averages 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game this year.
But 18 turnovers and a 30-point, nine-assist night from Jalen Brunson on the other side proved to be too much for the shorthanded Warriors to overcome.
What Comes Next
The losses keep piling up, and the question of whether Golden State can survive without Curry gets louder with each passing game.
The Warriors are barely holding onto the ninth seed in the Western Conference and are in the middle of a six-game road trip that continues Monday in Washington against the Wizards.
Kerr admitted the locker room was hurting after the game, but he also made it clear that the fight is not going anywhere.
He told reporters that the team is "beaten up right now, and short-handed," but that his players "keep giving themselves a chance to win night-after-night."
At some point, the Warriors believe Curry will return and help turn things around, and until then, it is on the rest of the roster to keep grinding the way they have been even when the results do not go their way.
For Kerr, it is not about the record right now.
It is about the effort, and on that front, he could not be more proud.