Officiating is slowly driving Steve Kerr mad
The normally mild-mannered Kerr has become a simmering cauldron of rage after some controversial late calls going against the Warriors.
One month ago, the Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies in a game where Steve Kerr and Draymond Green received technical fouls in the final minute. Upset about the calls and non-calls late, Kerr sought out the referees after the game to continue giving them a piece of his mind.
But even after the end of the game became a parade to the free throw line for both teams, Kerr chose discretion when reporters asked him about the refs, saying only, “I’m going to choose not to speak on the officiating.”
"I'm going to choose not to speak on the officiating."
— KNBR (@KNBR) November 16, 2024
Steve Kerr chose not to elaborate after he was visually heated with the refs after the game pic.twitter.com/hGelgqDYfM
That is not a choice that Steve Kerr has stuck to. At the time, the Warriors were 10-2. Since that game, they’ve gone 4-8. In three of those losses, the Dubs blew big second-half leads. In another three, they had a chance to win or tie on their final possession. And when games get close out of nowhere, the 4th quarter calls suddenly start to matter a lot more.
By the time the Warriors lost to the Denver Nuggets Dec. 3, Kerr was in a froth about the referees, specifically about them not calling a technical on Christian Braun for calling a timeout his team didn’t have. (The NBA disagreed.)
“Everybody saw it except for the three guys we hire to do the games,” Kerr said as part of a lengthy complaint after the game.
Steve Kerr was extremely upset the officials didn’t call a technical on the Nuggets late when Christian Braun tried to call a timeout (and the Nuggets didn’t have one).
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 4, 2024
Full soundbite on that non-call and the loss pic.twitter.com/1AYDPJbRfx
By Wednesday, when the Warriors lost after a loose ball foul called on Jonathan Kuminga gave Jalen Green two free throws, Kerr was at his maddest yet this season. He said the whistle was “a call that I don’t think an elementary school referee would have made,” among other choice phrases that included “unconscionable” and “ridiculous.”
Steve Kerr called the loose ball foul that decided the game with 3.5 seconds left an “unconscionable” whistle and something an “elementary school” official wouldn’t have called.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 12, 2024
Here’s his full soundbite pic.twitter.com/E9O8Inurcl
Clearly the late-game collapses have affected Kerr, especially the team’s inability to score in those situations. At the same time, teams do seem to be playing physically against the warriors, particularly Steph Curry, and getting away with it. While the NBA keeps slapping down Kerr’s complaints in their Last Two Minute Reports, it’s not making him any more relaxed when he thinks his team has been robbed.
Besides, there’s another culprit for all the rage Kerr showed Wednesday night: Descending into Hell.
It’s a red court tonight for the semifinals between Warriors and Rockets. Steve Kerr told his coaches at shootaround: “It feels like I’m descending into the depths of hell.” pic.twitter.com/q4eMHXjdaR
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 12, 2024
In the words of Jean-Paul Sartre, “Hell is other people, especially when they’re NBA officials.”