Steve Kerr Ruled Out of Game 1 vs. Cavaliers Due to Back Problems

The Golden State Warriors will reportedly be without head coach Steve Kerr for Thursday's Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

According to Anthony Slater of the Mercury News, Mike Brown will fill in for Kerr for the 11th straight game this postseason.

"Kerr hasn't officially been ruled out of the rest of the series, but his health issues, stemming from a back surgery gone bad two years ago, are still bothering him to the point that he is not able to return to the sidelines," Slater wrote.

However, Kerr will be in Oracle Arena on Thursday and could address the Warriors at halftime.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com reported Kerr was hopeful he could have coached Thursday's contest when he was "feeling well enough earlier this week," but a bad day on Wednesday impacted his decision.

He last coached in Game 2 of Golden State's first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers. He said during that series he would treat the situation with the appropriate caution despite the playoff stage, via Slater:

The Warriors are yet to miss Kerr from a won-loss standpoint considering they are undefeated in the playoffs. Still, they are facing a Cleveland Cavaliers squad that beat them in last year's NBA Finals even after they seized a 3-1 lead and will likely be challenged more than they were in the Western Conference playoffs.

Kerr's absence sets up an interesting subplot with Brown because he coached Cleveland from 2005 through 2010. He teamed with LeBron James to help the Cavaliers reach the 2007 NBA Finals, a series the San Antonio Spurs swept.