Stephen Curry might have assured his Golden State Warriors teammates that he would be available for the playoffs. But, going by their performance of late, Curry might have to wait until next season.
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Steve Kerr’s Warriors suffered yet another humiliating drubbing last night at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Well, that has become a bit of a theme with them this season.
Their 104-97 loss was the 4th time they went down to the OKC Thunder this season. With the result, they also lost the 8th position in the Western Conference, which they had been holding on to for dear life. The OKC, on the other hand, recorded its 50th win of the season, powered by another masterclass from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Shai has been key to the Thunder’s success this season. Well, success, of course, attracts scrutiny. And there has been a microscopic focus on his free-throw tactics. He has had 427 free throws this season, an average of 9.3 per game.
If that number wasn’t unusual in itself, the reigning MVP has sunk an astonishing 89.5% of them. He downed 14 of his 15 on Saturday night against the Warriors, prompting reporters to question him about it.
Some, especially the opposition, might deem his free-throw seeking tactic a bit shady. However, according to Kerr, Shai is just really smart.
“He’s incredibly clever, and he knows exactly how to draw contact, and it’s all within the rules. I don’t have a problem with Shai,” Kerr admitted.
That doesn’t mean Kerr does not have an issue at all, though. He has a problem with the fact that the rules, as they exist right now, are easily walked around. “I have a problem with the rules. I just think that we, as a league, allow too much off-arm,” he said.
“We hardly allow the defense to do anything guarding the ball. If you allow the offensive player to push off with the off arm to create space, it makes it really tough defensively because you can’t put your arm in,” added Kerr.
“If you put your arm in, everybody around the league will do what Shai does and what James Harden does… They’ll hook your arm, and it’s all part of the rules,” he asserted.
Steve Kerr on SGA (15 free throws tonight): “He’s incredibly clever. He knows exactly how to draw contact. It’s all within the rules. I don’t have a problem with Shai. I have a problem with the rules.” pic.twitter.com/OFESGg8ENg
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 8, 2026
Kerr credited Shai for being able to take advantage of the situation. However, he insisted that the league needs to adapt and adjust itself to such innovations around the rules from players.
“The players, year after year, take advantage of the rules. They’re smart, and they know what they’re doing,” the Warriors coach said.
Kerr was a lot more gracious than the New York Knicks coach Mike Brown, who, after their loss to the Thunder, issued a back-handed compliment to Shai. Brown claimed that he had an uncanny ability to convince the referees that he had been fouled. Well, that’s part of his arsenal as of now, and a pretty effective one too, as shown by the statistics.
