Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry said that head coach Steve Kerr had the right to go off on the referees during the fourth quarter of their 103-102 road loss against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.
Kerr was angry about the referees’ non-call on a goaltended layup by Gary Payton II with 8:03 left, as the ball clearly hit the glass first before John Collins tipped the ball away and grabbed the rebound.
“To be honest, I was gonna do that, but I saw him. That’s why I fouled Kris Dunn because I was watching coach go crazy, and I was appreciative of that. Two crazy calls in a row… I love that. That fire from Steve. Somebody had to do it tonight,” Curry said of Kerr’s outburst via SI’s Joey Linn.
Like Kerr, Curry didn’t finish the game after he fouled out with 42.7 seconds left, as he tried to take the ball out of Kris Dunn’s hands on a rebound. The Golden State Warriors guard had 27 points (team-high), four rebounds, six assists, three steals, and four three-pointers on 9-for-23 shooting in 34 minutes.
Golden State Warriors News: Crew chief admits missed goaltend call that led to Steve Kerr’s ejection
During the Pool Report conducted after the Golden State Warriors-Los Angeles Clippers match, crew chief Brian Forte explained why Steve Kerr was ejected on Monday night, despite admitting the missed goaltend call in the final period.
“For the first technical foul, Coach Kerr aggressively approached the official while shouting profanities. After the first technical was called, he continued shouting profanities while being held back by his assistant coach. And led to the second technical foul,” Forte stated.
“The shot by (Gary) Payton hit the backboard prior to being touched by Collins. It should have been ruled a goaltending violation. The only way it could have been reviewed was if it was called on the floor and the Clippers challenged the call, because it did not occur in the last two minutes of the game,” he added.
