Jason Kidd and Steve Kerr will face off from the sidelines with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. Kidd orchestrated a magnificent series win over the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the Conference Semifinals while Kerr was unfortunately sidelined after Game 3 of the series against the Memphis Grizzlies after testing positive for COVID-19.
Kerr is now thankfully back after completing his recovery and he had a lot of good things to say about facing his counterpart for the series back in the day. Kidd was also asked about his memories of playing against Kerr and he had a hilarious response:
Kidd’s quote: “Yeah, I remember facing Steve. He had Michael Jordan. Steve always hit the big shots. Steve was a great competitor, a great NBA player. He doesn’t get his just due. He played his role at a high level, and he won. He’s a winner, and that’s what makes Steve special.” https://t.co/rOUJ6r3plU
— Tim MacMahon (@BannedMacMahon) May 18, 2022
“Yeah, I remember facing Steve. He had Michael Jordan. Steve always hit the big shots. Steve was a great competitor, a great NBA player. He doesn’t get his just due. He played his role at a high level, and he won. He’s a winner, and that’s what makes Steve special.”
Jordan is, of course, the name that comes to mind when we think of those Chicago Bulls teams, but as Kidd went on to state, Kerr often hit some big shots. There was none bigger than in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals when Kerr hit a 17-footer with 5 seconds left to give the Bulls an 88-86 lead over the Utah Jazz. They would go on to win the game and the title to make it back-to-back championships after having won in 1996 as well.
The Bulls would, of course, complete the three-peat the next year, after which Kerr left the team and joined the Spurs, with whom he would win two more championships. He will now look to win his fourth championship as a coach, but Kidd, who comes into this series after out-coaching Monty Williams who won Coach of the Year, will prove to be a tough nut to crack.
