Why Kerr can empathize with NHL's battle vs. elements in Tahoe

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Warriors coach Steve Kerr could empathize with the NHL's unsuccessful battle against the elements Saturday.

The Vegas Golden Knights-Colorado Avalanche game at Edgewood Tahoe Resort on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe was postponed until 9 p.m. PKT due to poor ice conditions from the afternoon start. At the start of Kerr's last two seasons as the team's general manager, the Phoenix Suns played exhibition games at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the Coachella Valley, and his team also had to contend with Mother Nature.

"[What] I remember is that the temperature dropped about 20 degrees right around halftime," Kerr recalled on a video conference call with reporters Saturday ahead of the Warriors' game against the Charlotte Hornets.

"So it went from, like, 75 to about 55. I was yelling from the stands, 'Get the starters out! Get 'em out! We don't want anybody to pull a hamstring.' I just think basketball's meant to be played indoors at this level, but I do have a spectacular aerial shot of the court from that night, with the sunset in the back. It was a beautiful scene, and I saw photos from the NHL setting as well in Tahoe, and it looked spectacular."

In 2009, ahead of what would be Kerr's last season in Phoenix, the Suns played against Steph Curry and the Warriors at the venue during the eventual two-time NBA MVP's first preseason.

Kerr admitted he wouldn't want to see the NBA play outdoor games again, citing his own experience as a broadcaster when San Diego State and Syracuse's men's basketball teams squared off on the USS Midway on Nov. 11, 2012.

"I actually did the game with my sunglasses on, because the sun was on the other side of the court. And it was crazy. Again, it was a spectacular scene, great novelty, but one of those things that you just do it once or twice and you move on."

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Of course, playing a basketball game outdoors doesn't carry all of the same risks as playing hockey.

"Hopefully nobody falls through the ice," Kerr quipped about the resumption of Knights-Avalanche.

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