This story appears in the Dec. 17-24, 2018, issue of Sports Illustrated. For more great storytelling and in-depth analysis, subscribe to the magazine—and get up to 94% off the cover price. Click here for more.
The beers are warm. But then they should be. The four Coronas have been in a metal bucket in Steve Kerr’s Denver hotel room for 24 hours now.
There’s a reason. Four years ago, when Kerr took the job as Warriors’ coach, he met Eric Housen, the team’s meticulous, fireplug-shaped director of team operations.