When a basketball coach gets ejected from a game, you do have to wonder what the players are thinking in that moment. Are they upset, angry that their coach couldn't control his temperament? Or do they respect it, grateful to have a leader who cares so much?
Well, in Steph Curry’s case, it sounds like he’s in the latter camp, for sure, at least as it pertains to Steve Kerr's ejection during the Warriors’ narrow loss vs. the Clippers on Monday night.
Kerr was tossed with just under eight minutes left in the game following two blown (in his opinion) calls, including one that negated a Curry circus shot. The Golden State superstar eventually fouled out.
Speaking after the game, Curry said he was actually happy the coach said something in the moment, even if it ended with two technical fouls.
“To be honest, I was going to do that until I saw him [arguing with the ref],” Curry told reporters. “That’s why I fouled Kris Dunn because I was watching coach go crazy and I was appreciative of that because two crazy calls in a row that you feel like can dictate the momentum of the game, it 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.”
Watch that answer below starting at 9:56:
The ejection was Kerr’s first of the season and his first in almost four campaigns, The Athletic reported, per Elias Sports Bureau. It was also the first time Curry had fouled out of a game since 2021.
After the fact, assistant coach Terry Stotts said that it was the missed goaltending call after a blocked Gary Payton II layup that really got Kerr going.
“There was probably some other things, but that was the last straw probably,” Stotts said.
Officials later acknowledged that they did, in fact, miss a goaltending call in that moment.
“Usually refs—if it’s a 50/50 call either way—you let it go to where the basket goes and then you just play on,” Curry said of the call involving him. “I’ve never seen it where it’s a delayed call, [then the refs say], 'Oh, it was a foul. Oh, no basket.'
"And then literally the next possession, clear goaltend,” he continued. “Seeing the replay, it’s hard to miss both of those in a momentum-swinging situation like that. Coach did the right thing, we responded the right way, gave ourselves a chance to win, but on the road that’s a tough moment.”
Next up, the 19–18 Warriors will host the Bucks on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steph Curry Shares Honest Reaction To Steve Kerr’s Ejection vs. Clippers.
