“Don’t Think That an Elementary School Referee…”: Steve Kerr Lashes Out on Officials After 91–90 NBA Cup Loss to Rockets

The Golden State Warriors lost the NBA Cup quarter-final against the Houston Rockets tonight. The 91-90 game for the Rockets was a real nail-biter till the final second. At the post-game presser, Steve Kerr lashed out at the refs, labeling them as a major reason why his team ended up losing.

Kerr was disappointed with the poor decisions made by the refs that swayed the game in the Rockets’ favor. When Stephen Curry attempted the three-pointer with 11 seconds left and the shot missed, Gary Payton II got the rebound, but was jumped on by Fred VanVleet. No foul was called. That led to GP2 pushing the ball towards Jonathan Kuminga, which was intercepted by Jalen Green, and Kuminga got called for a loose ball foul.

This sequence resulted in two free-throws for the Rockets, handing them a 91-90 lead, instead of letting the Warriors defend their 1-point lead with 3.5 seconds on the shot clock.

Kerr stated that he had never seen such fouls being called in an NBA game. The last time he saw something like this was perhaps back in his college days, 30 years ago.

The Warriors head coach said, “I’ve never seen a loose ball foul on a jump ball situation 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line… I think I saw it in college one time 30 years ago, never in the NBA… That is… unconscionable. I don’t even understand what just happened.”

Coach Kerr expressed his disappointment by stating that the refs in the game were worse than an elementary school official. He said, “I’m stunned. I’m stunned… I don’t think an elementary school (official) would’ve made that call in that game.”

In his assessment, the quarter-final game was nothing short of a wrestling match.

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.

Here’s his full soundbite pic.twitter.com/E9O8Inurcl

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 12, 2024

In such high-pressure, intense games, the refs are expected to make better decisions than they did tonight. Coach Kerr stated that his team was on track to qualify for the semi-final game if it wasn’t for the poor calls. The Warriors were looking forward to going to Vegas and winning the NBA Cup. While he trashed the refs for their calls, he was respectful towards the Rockets and stated that they played a great game.

Shaquille O’Neal backs Steve Kerr’s frustration

The bad calls made tonight were too obvious to miss. After the post-game presser, the Inside the NBA crew discussed Coach Kerr’s comment. Shaq started the discussion by agreeing with what Kerr had to say. The big fella also noticed a lot of flaws and was surprised by the calls that were made by the refs.

He said, “I agree with Steve. It was a wrestling match, a lot of missed calls, but Golden State was in trouble anyway.” There were some issues with the Warriors game as well. They blew their six-point lead in the final seconds of the game, but they would’ve survived their mistakes if the refs didn’t do what they did.

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1867082553401937925

Kenny Smith also sided with coach Kerr’s rant. He pointed out how Fred VanVleet had the same foul on Gary Payton II in the final seconds that Jonathan Kuminga was booked for. However, the refs didn’t see call it.