Things didn’t start well for the Warriors as they faced the Magic on Monday. The Warriors missed their first six shots, all from beyond the arc, and were stuck with only three points in the first five minutes. But after that rocky start, they turned it around. By dominating the second and third quarters, they outscored the Magic by 23 points and held on for a 104-99 victory. So what did Steve Kerr do which made Warriors shift gears?

The Warriors got the job done in the second and third quarters, but they ended up losing the fourth by 10 points. Steph had an off night, scoring 24 points but hitting only 7 of 21 shots. From three? He was just 2 of 12—rough, right? On the flip side, Andrew Wiggins showed up, going 7 of 14 from the field and sinking 10 free throws. Moody wasn’t shy either, adding 17 points to help the Warriors clinch the win despite the struggles.

So what turned it around Warriors? Well, it was Steve Kerr and his clipboard. Moody shared a memorable moment from the timeout. “Coach broke a clipboard,” Moody said. “So, you know, there’s a lot of light of fire under, if you’re getting us ready, getting us, uh, woken up a little bit.” It was a wake-up call that seemed to spark the team.

“We moved the ball a lot, took the shots that were open, played faster,” Moody continued. “I think it all contributed.”

When asked if the clipboard incident should happen more often, Moody chuckled. “Um, that’s the first one I’ve seen this year, uh, since I’ve been here. We usually got more than that by this point of the year. So, um, he’s broken a few.” 

Moody isn’t wrong, the Warriors HC through the years has been known to take out his anger on clipboards.

Steve Kerr’s breaking clipboards tradition is back

Steve Kerr’s clipboard-smashing moments have become a bit of a legend in the NBA. We saw another chapter of this saga in 2019, when Kerr, following a 104-90 win over the Chicago Bulls, sported a bandage on his hand after smashing a clipboard. “It’s a mere flesh wound,” he joked. “I’m allotted two [broken clipboards] a year. This was number one. It always cuts [my hand] in the same place. This was a little deeper one. I was a little more upset.”

But this wasn’t an isolated incident. Flashback to Game 1 of the 2016 Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where Kerr’s clipboard rage hit its peak. The Warriors had dominated for most of the game, but the Cavs had fought back, even taking a one-point lead in the third quarter. Kerr, who couldn’t contain his frustration, punched his dry-erase board so hard, it shattered. The man was clearly not having it.

There was another one in 2019. When Kerr got into it with a referee during a game against the Trail Blazers. After tossing his clipboard in frustration, he went straight for the referee, yelling loud enough for everyone to hear. That’s when the technical came. But of course, he wasn’t done—he had more choice words that led to his ejection. Luckily the clipboard survived this one.

Fast forward to this season, we got another one today. Let’s hope the tradition brings back the winning ways of the Warriors.