Getty Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
In the Golden State Warriors Game 5 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, both teams shot 15 free throws apiece. That may not seem like a substantial statistic, but through the first four games of the series L.A. averaged 13 more attempts per game than the Dubs.
The differential led Warriors head coach Steve Kerr to call the Lakers out for “flopping,” when Golden State would set screens on them.
L.A. star LeBron James was asked of Kerr’s comments, after Wednesday’s 121-106 defeat. He replied by refuting the claim, and didn’t sound all that thrilled.
“I just know that we, our coaching staff and us players, we don’t work on flopping,” James said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “That’s not even at part of our game. Our game is to attack the paint. We don’t mind the contact. We actually like the contact and we don’t shy away from. We’re not a team that goes out there looking for flopping opportunities. That’s just not us, it’s never been. It’s actually never been any team that I’ve played on in my 20 years, where we’ve been a flopping team. It is what it is they have the right to say what they want to say. But, the game is always won in between the 4 lines; we need to be better.”
James finished the night with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, while shooting 9-of-17 from the field and 3-of-7 from deep.
Steve Kerr Accuses Lakers of Flopping Against Warriors
Kerr’s rant about foul shooting came after L.A. had 20 more attempts than his squad did in Game 4. The man in charge called some of the so-called flops “disappointing,” when discussing the issue with the media.
“I think we had three or four illegal screens called, and that was disappointing,” Kerr said via the Golden State Warriors official YouTube channel. “I didn’t get a look at the replay on any of them. But there were a couple that were very disappointing just live. The Lakers — they’re a team that plays with a lot of gamesmanship. They understand how to generate some calls. I thought they took some flops and were rewarded, but I’ll have to see the replays. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe those were all illegal screens but didn’t feel like it watching it.”
Though the difference in free throw attempts has been a talking point throughout this series, it’s on par with what each side did in the regular season. The Warriors ranked dead last in the NBA in attempts from the line, while the Lakers were first.
Dennis Schröder responds to Warriors’ Steve Kerr’s Flopping Accusation
While James completely disagreed with Kerr’s accusations, his teammate, Dennis Schröder took a different stance. He explained that sometimes he has to emphasize the contact in order for the officials to make the call, during the gap between Games 4 & 5.
“If they set illegal screens, sometimes you gotta show them that they are moving on the screen,” Schröder said during a livestream with Adin Ross. “If you don’t do it, they’re not gonna call it.”