Game 7—the two most beautiful words in sports, capable of shattering dreams, and hopes. And now in that irony of emotions are the Golden State Warriors, who might’ve escaped Los Angeles Lakers’ fate with a 3-3 Round 1 result, but are yet to clinch a playoff future. And by the looks of it, seems like Steve Kerr will need more than his trusted coaching staff to pull through. More specifically, names that have ample experience dealing with such high-pressure situations, like Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Stephen Curry.

Notably, during his 16-year illustrious career, Curry has played in a staggering five Game 7s till date, averaging 32.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7 assist with a 3-2 record. Butler, on the other hand, has a 2-2 record, averaging 22 points, 6.25 rebounds and 3 assists, while Green adds more experience with a 3-2 record with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 5.8 assists on average. And while Kerr will definitely hope they don’t overexert Curry for another 50-point game like he did two years ago to move to the second round, a lot does rest on the veterans.

During the latest episode of the Warriors Plus Minus hosted by Tim Kawakami, Anthony Slater, and Marcus Thompson, one of the insiders said, “I think that the veterans will be very much part of the decision-making process on what the rotation is gonna look like in Game 7.” Backing his statements, he also revealed the details of a secret locker room meeting between the Warriors’ leaders: “You guys probably were in the locker room. Did you see it? We got down there. Jimmy Butler calls Draymond over. He was talking to Buddy, but he calls Draymond over. Clearly, he wanted to kind of talk more like leader to leader with Draymond.”

“They were talking for maybe about 30 seconds. Draymond was like, ‘Hold on, come on.’ And he brought Jimmy over to an area of the locker room, not shown to us, like more of the trainer table,” the insider further mentioned before adding, “He called over Steph..It was more of a triangle conversation to the point of…like they’re going to sign off on this rotation, whatever it is.” The Big 3 were seemingly discussing the lineup that would be best suitable for Game 7. “They’re going to have recommendation and they’re going to have like this and this and this,” the insider noted. What’s more? UPDATE: ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk also reported about an “emotional players-only meeting” called by the trio shortly after the plane landed in Houston—one where Green “set the tone” for Game 7 after committing a controversial Flagrant 1 foul in Game 7.

As per Kerr, who joined the meeting later: “Basically, he owned up to losing his poise in Game 6, and I agreed with him. I thought the flagrant foul was a tone-setter, and he knew it and so he talked to the group and said, ‘I got to be poised and I have to be better, and we’re going to come in here tomorrow and get it done.’ And I think his emotional stability tonight, just his poise from the start, set a great tone.” For the unversed, the 35-year-old had reportedly hit Jalen Green in the head merely four minutes after Game 6 started (that the Houston’s eventually won 115-107). And after the team’s Game 7 triumph sending them to a round against the Minnesota Wolves, Butler divulged more.

“My message to my guys was I wasn’t being who I was. In a sense of pumping confidence into my guys. I think that’s a part of my leadership that I’ve learned and gained throughout my years of playing this game at a high level…I wasn’t doing that for the first six games, so I wanted to make sure to let them know that I was going to show everything was going to be fine, we’re right where we wanted to be and I think I got back to being who I’m supposed to be,” he said.

Steve Kerr reveals biggest concern for Game 7 as he highlights Friday’s glaring issue

The Warriors have already blown two opportunities to close out this series. On Friday, they did a decent job for the majority of the game, as they trailed by only two points heading into the fourth quarter. Then, the Rockets pulled away in the final period as the big man duo of Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun exploited the Warriors’ lack of size.

Watching his team lose control of the game, Kerr was clearly not pleased, as he highlighted a glaring issue, “The second half, I thought we got a little scattered with our game, with our emotion. That’s the biggest thing… But the biggest thing is that we got out of sorts last night. We got too emotional.” Yes, the head coach believes Stephen Curry and Co. could not keep their emotions in check as the game slipped away.

It became evident to Kerr during one particular play, “First play of the fourth quarter was indicative of letting our guard down a few times and that’s all it takes in a series like this. VanVleet gets the 4-point play, it goes from [a two-point lead] to six, and the whole nature of the game changes, and that’s based on just a missed matchup.”

So, Kerr fears the same issue could cause problems tonight, “So, that’s my biggest concern tomorrow is, just our overall emotional response to a night where we really weren’t ourselves.” Of course, this is where Draymond, Steph, and Jimmy’s experience will come in handy. Like true leaders, they can guide their squad through the emotional rollercoaster of Game 7 while keeping their focus clear. Looks like the fate of the Warriors’ season relies on their veteran leaders. Do you think they can get the job done?