OAKLAND, Calif. - The Golden State Warriors wanted Steve Kerr from the start but still wondered about his ability to coach. Kerr had his own questions for the Warriors before being convinced to take the job, notably what led to the bitter divorce between the team and Mark Jackson. Both got the answers that they had hoped for. Now each is counting on even better results to follow. The Warriors introduced Kerr as their new coach Tuesday at a packed news conference at the teams downtown Oakland headquarters. Kerr signed with the Warriors for five years and about $25 million after rejecting an offer from mentor Phil Jackson to coach the New York Knicks. "Im convinced Phil is going to make it work in New York, but when I sat down with the Warriors, it just clicked," Kerr said. "I think its the right fit for me." Kerr plans to finish his duties broadcasting the Western Conference finals for TNT before starting with the Warriors. The former NBA guard cited Golden States rapid rise the past three seasons and his family in California as his main reasons for taking the job. He replaces Mark Jackson, who was fired by the Warriors on May 6 after a 51-win season and back-to-back playoff appearances in large part because of his sour relationship with team management. Warriors general manager Bob Myers said the team identified Kerr and former Miami Heat and Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy at the beginning of their search. He said Kerr already was too deep in talks with the Knicks, where Phil Jackson took over as team president in March. "We were really just hoping to get an interview with Steve. And he rebuffed us in a very polite way," Myers said, chuckling. Then Van Gundy agreed to a $35 million, five-year deal with Detroit last week to coach the Pistons and oversee basketball operations. Shortly thereafter, Kerrs agent, Mike Tannenbaum, called the Warriors and asked for a meeting. Myers, Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob, assistant GM Kirk Lacob, and director of player personnel Travis Schlenk met with Kerr for more than three hours last Tuesday in Oklahoma City, where Kerr was calling the Thunder-Clippers game. Myers and Lacob said the teams biggest questions were about Kerrs lack of coaching experience, which he outlined during a PowerPoint presentation. "He blew our socks off," Lacob said. "Steve Kerr and Bob Myers together is my dream team. That is a dream team." Kerr still had questions about why Jackson was fired after improving in each of his three seasons. He said it was refreshing to hear Lacob and Myers both admit mistakes, which he could relate to from his time as general manager of the Phoenix Suns from 2007-10. "I felt like I got a lot of clarity on the circumstances on the situation," Kerr said, declining to elaborate. Kerr, 48, helped Arizona to its first Final Four appearance in 1988. He won three titles for Phil Jackson in Chicago and another two under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio during his 15-year NBA playing career. Kerrs former coach at Arizona, Lute Olson, sat in the front row at his news conference. Lacob and Warriors co-owner Peter Guber also sat in the front row alongside Kerrs wife, Margot, and two of their three children, Nick and Madeline, who plays volleyball nearby at the University of California, Berkeley. The Warriors had a video display of "Kerrs Legendary Coaches," showing pictures of Jackson, Popovich, Olson, Lenny Wilkens and Cotton Fitzsimmons. Kerr said he will take the knowledge and experience from them — and other coaches he met with before games as a TNT broadcaster — and employ them with the Warriors. Kerr said his system will have principles of the Triangle Offense that won Jackson an NBA-record 11 titles as coach of the Bulls and Lakers but "will not be the Bulls of the 1990s." He said it will be more tailored to suit star Stephen Currys pick-and-roll abilities while adding some of the off-the-ball movement the Spurs do so well. Kerr has yet to hire a staff. He said he reached out to every Warriors player — almost all of whom publicly said they wanted Jackson to return — and has spoken with all but two of them so far. He said the feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive. "I think theyre excited to get back to work," Kerr said. "And Im excited to get started." Pink Cowboys Jerseys . -- Chicago manager Darold Butler has a message for the Windy City. Tony Pollard Gear . Toronto FC hosts the three-time Italian league champions in a friendly Aug. 7 at BMO Field, a game that Roma CEO Italo Zanzi said falls within a key part of their pre-season. http://www.officialcowboysnflauthenticshop.com/.com) - Houston Texans interim head coach Wade Phillips confirmed Monday that starting quarterback Case Keenum sustained a sprained right thumb during Sundays 25-3 loss in Indianapolis. Elite Cowboys Jerseys . Reimer is winless (0-2-1) since returning from a six-week absence due to concussion-like symptoms. The Maple Leafs dropped a 4-2 decision to the hosting Washington Capitals on Friday. Trysten Hill Gear . -- Nick Bjugstad snapped out of his scoring slump and spoiled Drew MacIntyres first NHL start. TORONTO -- It was nothing new to see these Toronto Maple Leafs beaten. A 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings was their eighth straight in regulation. But Saturday night in the home locker room at Air Canada Centre, the Leafs looked defeated for the first time during this losing streak or this once-hopeful season that has quickly gone off the rails. "I cant describe it right now," winger Joffrey Lupul said. "This was as close to a do-or-die as you can get. But obviously were not going to throw out hope until its mathematically set in stone. But we pretty much had to have this game." Seven losses piled up and yet the Leafs still sounded like a team that had hope. Giving up huge leads in the standings to the Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals to fall into a four-way tie at 80 points was one thing. Squandering the most important game of this stretch so far to a fellow Eastern Conference wild-card competitor felt like the breaking point. "This loss is the most disappointing out of the eight. Theres no hiding that," captain Dion Phaneuf said. "We come tonight against a team that was battling for that same spot and they win this hockey game. This is the toughest loss for sure." Detroit (34-26-14) got a hat trick from Darren Helm and another from the NHLs hottest goal-scorer, Gustav Nyquist, to reach 82 points. "It was the first hat trick I ever had, which is pretty special," Helm said. "Big game to win, too. I was happy to win the game, first off, but the hat trick is a nice thing to take home." The Red Wings werent the only ones in the race to win Saturday night, as the Blue Jackets beat the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime to take over the top wild-card spot in the East at 82 points. Columbus leads Detroit because they have more regulation and overtime wins (33 to 29). With just six games remaining -- two less than each of the three teams theyre competing with for two spots -- the Leafs are fourth among those teams and know the difficult task in front of them. "Weve got to win the rest of our games and get help now, I think," said Lupul, who scored the Leafs second goal of the night late in the second period to give some life that evaporated in the third. "All we can control right now is winning the rest of our games, and were going to have to have every one, probably." Phaneuf didnt want to consider that daunting task. The defenceman whose miscues cost the Leafs in previous defeats didnt want to think too far ahead but also called this a "very trying" time for a group that was in second place in the Atlantic Division as recently as Mar. 16. This was the first time in franchise history that Toronto (36-32-8) went eight straight games without a point since 1996 and the first time it lost eight consecutive in regulation since 1985. "Its not like were playing bad hockey, its just one of those things where every mistake that we do make ends up (in our net)," said defenceman Cody Franson, who opened the scoring 10:57 into the first period. "Its the end of the season, everybodys clamping down and your little mistakes end up costing you. Plain and simple." Mistakes like a turnover by Phil Kessel on the power play early in the second that led to Helms first, a short-handed goal. Or like thhe puck taking a bad hop off Franson and right to Helm for his third.dddddddddddd. "It just isnt meant to be for us right now, and this is the tough ones," coach Randy Carlyle said. Asked what he figured the difference was in the loss, his third straight since returning from a groin injury, goaltender Jonathan Bernier (24 saves on 28 shots) said: "Odd-man rushes." Lupul agreed. "We gave up odd-man situations repeatedly for whatever reason," he said. "Its tough to say from the bench, thats something you notice when you watch the game again. But the try is there, just we didnt get the job done and we have to pay for that now." The Leafs have been paying since they last won a game, Mar. 13 at the Los Angeles Kings. Most importantly they havent been picking up valuable points with the games whittling down to the end of the regular season. On the other hand, Detroit has picked up 11 points and gone on an impressive run without star forward Pavel Datsyuk and captain Henrik Zetterberg. The injuries have piled up, but the Red Wings have gotten 21 goals in 26 games from Nyquist and continued solid performances from goalie Jimmy Howard (25 saves) to remain in the playoff race. "Weve been devastated this year, no question about it, but we found all these kids and were better for it going ahead, so thats a positive thing," coach Mike Babcock said. "Weve had a lot of fun doing it. Weve been in the grinder since day one, theres no question about it, but weve had a lot of fun doing it and weve got a big game against Tampa tomorrow." Every game down the stretch is big for the Leafs now. They return to Air Canada Centre on Tuesday night to face the Calgary Flames before hosting the Atlantic Division-champion Boston Bruins on Thursday and the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. They finish the season with three on the road: at the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators. But unless they manage to string together a home winning streak, those games will be too late. The task in front of them is to prevent doing even once more what theyve done eight consecutive times. As the Leafs seemed to realize Saturday night, they can no longer afford to lose. "Weve won six in a row in the season," Bernier said. "Obviously its hard to snap the long losing streak like that, but weve got to find a way. If not, then well be home very soon." NOTE -- Winger Phil Kessel took a pass from James van Riemsdyk off his right foot in the first period and laboured to the bench in pain. Kessel was seen limping after the game, but Carlyle did not have any information on his condition. ... Bernier started on back-to-back days for the first time this season and just the second time in his NHL career. The only previous time was March 5, 2013 with the Los Angeles Kings, when Bernier was pulled after giving up three goals on eight shots. ... Defenceman Paul Ranger and enforcer Colton Orr were scratched for the Leafs, who recalled forward Jerry DAmigo earlier in the day from the AHLs Toronto Marlies. ... The Red Wings were playing their 14th straight game without Datsyuk (knee) and 16th straight without Zetterberg (back). Theyve played 35 total without Datsyuk and 29 without Zetterberg. ... The game was broadcast live on CCTV in China. 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