They were tired, frustrated and didn't feel like talking to anybody. Stephen Jackson and Tony Parker had barely slipped into their hotel rooms early Thursday morning after the most disappointing performance of their young lives when their phones rang.

On the other end was Steve Kerr. He told them not to worry. He told them they would bounce back like they always bounce back. He told them he had been there before.

"He said everybody has nights like that," Jackson said. "And he said we would laugh about it when we're spraying champagne on each other."

The Spurs moved within one win of breaking out the bubbly Friday night because Kerr can still do a few other things besides dispense advice.

Two weeks after lifting the Spurs into the NBA Finals with a torrid 13-minute shooting display, Kerr helped push them to the brink of their second championship. In the final nine minutes Friday, he hit a 3-pointer, stripped Kenyon Martin, pulled up for another jumper and grabbed an offensive rebound.