There was a controversial moment or two in the Golden State Warriors‘ 103-102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, including Steve Kerr’s ejection. Kerr was tossed after arguing and cursing the referees for a missed call.
Speaking to ClutchPoints’ Tomer Azarly after the game as part of the NBA’s Pool Report, crew chief Brian Forte was asked about a couple of calls early in the fourth quarter.
One of which was a missed goaltending call on the Clippers that cost Golden State two points in a close game. Forte admitted that they made a mistake by not calling it properly, but they couldn’t do anything about it because there wasn’t a whistle and they couldn’t review what happened.
“The shot by (Gary) Payton hit the backboard prior to being touched by (John) 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,” Forte said.
The veteran NBA official added that Kerr was given two technical fouls for aggressively approaching the referees and using profanities continuously. Lead assistant coach Terry Stotts took over for the rest of the game, but the Warriors came up short, 103-102.
It was a costly mistake against the Warriors since those two points could have given them the win instead of a one-point loss.
Stotts Took The Podium Instead of Kerr After The Game
Speaking to reporters after the game, assistant coach Terry Stotts opened with a joke about why he’s facing the media rather than Steve Kerr. Stotts said that Kerr would likely say some bad words about the officiating, so he’s saving him from getting fined.
Stotts added that Kerr’s frustration was growing throughout the game, and he just reached his limit after the missed goaltending call.
“I think it’s that goaltending call that was missed. Well, there’s probably some other things, but that was the last straw, probably. I don’t want to speak for Steve. … I didn’t see a replay, but it sure seemed obvious at the time that it was a goaltend,” Stotts said, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
The four-time champion coach was already fuming after the officials didn’t give continuation to a basket by Steph Curry after getting fouled before the goaltending play.
Crew chief Brian Forte did explain to Tomer Azarly that they made the right call on that one.
“Curry was grabbed around the hip by (John) Collins prior to the gather. And this was correctly ruled a non-shooting foul,” Forte said.
Curry Comments on Kerr’s Ejection
In his postgame media availability, Steph Curry confirmed that the two bad calls in the early fourth quarter were the limit for Steve Kerr. Curry also acknowledged that Kerr took the bullet for him and the rest of the team because he was ready to shout profanities at the referees.
“To be honest, I was going to do that until I saw him. I was appreciative of that because two crazy calls in a row that you feel like can dictate the momentum of a game. Doesn’t mean a win or a loss. It just dictates the momentum. I love that fired-up Steve, for sure. Somebody had to do it tonight,” Curry said, via San Francisco Chronicle’s Sam Gordon.
The Warriors had a shot to beat the Clippers, but Jimmy Butler missed the supposed game-winning basket with less than four seconds left.
NBA Refs Admit Making Mistake That Led to Steve Kerr’s Ejection