Steve Kerr: Time off before NBA Finals begin is 'very meaningful'

The Golden State Warriors needed just five games to take care of the Dallas Mavericks, giving the team a week off before the start of the 2022 NBA Finals.

On Sunday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that amount of rest is invaluable.

"We gave our guys two straight days off which is almost unheard of, in playoffs or even just regular season," Kerr said, via ESPN. "So it was a great chance to decompress the last couple days. We won't have a formal practice until tomorrow. It'll be the first day we'll build on our opponent. So I've said it many times: you go to the Finals, it's almost a two-month journey filled with stress and fatigue, so if you can build a little break, it's very meaningful."

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will play in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night for the right to meet Golden State in the NBA Finals. While the winner won't get the benefit of a week's worth of rest, the team won't have to contend with the possibility of rust like the Warriors.

The Warriors started the playoffs by beating the Denver Nuggets in five games and had three days off before the Western Conference semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies. Golden State had four days off after beating the Grizzlies in six games.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for Thursday.