Kerr Expresses Frustration Over Refereeing Discrepancy in Warriors’ Double Overtime Loss to Lakers

In a postgame press conference following a double-overtime heartbreaker against the Lakers on Saturday, Steve Kerr left no room for ambiguity in expressing his sentiments.

Kerr took a deliberate approach in addressing the media, highlighting the noticeable 43-16 free-throw disparity that favored the Lakers.

Despite being pressed by a reporter on the matter, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors refrained from directly criticizing the referees. However, he made it unmistakably clear that, in his opinion, the officiating played a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the game.

“I might comment on the free throws that they shot, but my mom is here right now, and I want to be on my best behavior,” Kerr stated during the press conference. “So I’m not going to comment on their 43 free throws to our 16. I’m not going to comment on Steph [Curry] shooting three free throws in 43 minutes.”

Despite holding the lead with 5.2 seconds left in double overtime, the Warriors succumbed to a 145-144 defeat after LeBron James drew a foul and made a pair of crucial free throws.

Expressing his frustration, Curry visibly demonstrated his displeasure by ripping his jersey in anger as he walked off the court. Later, when questioned about the significant free-throw imbalance, Curry did not mince words.

“We’ve had this conversation, especially playing against them,” Curry told reporters. “They draw a lot of fouls. Last year they had some crazy free-throw disparity and advantage. Tonight is just one of those where this is not consistent, and that’s the most frustrating part. Because you want to be in a place where the players decide the game, and it’s either the players decide the game or it’s consistent on both ends of what you’re calling.”

The star player went on to express his frustration with the inconsistency in officiating, pointing out specific instances where he believed there were clear, erroneous calls that affected the game’s flow.

“In a single game when you have inconsistency on both sides, that’s the most frustrating thing of all. Doesn’t mean that we’re gonna go to the line 58 times. It just means that there’s a tone of the game and there’s a flow of the game that we can adapt to and adjust to. And it wasn’t like that tonight. So it’s tough.”