After this Tuesday’s final match of the NBA Cup quarterfinals there is one thing that is for sure, and that is that the Rockets are headed to Las Vegas for the final rounds of the competition. However, after some late-game drama, were the referees’ calls at the end of the game fair?
Warriors coach Steve Kerr certainly doesn’t think so, as Houston defeated them 91-90 in a straight-up thriller in the final seconds. According to the veteran tactician, he had never seen something like it in all of his years in the league.
While the Rockets snapped a 15-game losing streak against Golden State, and will face the Thunder next, Kerr ripped into the officials. “A loose ball situation, 80 feet from the basket, with the game on the line. I’ve never seen that. Think I saw it in college one time, 30 years ago. Never seen it in the NBA. That is unconscionable. I don’t even understand what just happened,” he said postgame.
Steve Kerr goes off on refs after Warriors loss pic.twitter.com/YxtUGocMRz
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During the final 30 seconds of the contest, Stephen Curry got an open three-pointer and missed. Teammate Gary Payton II was able to get the rebound, but found himself surrounded by Rockets players, as rival Jalen Green eventually stole the ball a drew a foul.
“This is a billion dollar industry. You’ve got people’s jobs on the line,” the Warriors coach continued to rant about the final play. “Our guys deserved to win that game or at least have a chance for one stop at the end to finish the game.”
Kerr simply wasn’t having it. ” That was taken from us by a call I don’t think an elementary school referee would have made, because that guy would have had feel and said ‘You know what, I’m not going to decide a game on a loose ball 80 feet from the basket’,” he told the press.
He then concluded: “I’m pissed off. I wanted to go to Las Vegas. We wanted to win this Cup. We aren’t going because of a loose-ball foul 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. That was ridiculous.”
Rumours about the Warriors searching for another superstar to pair with Curry have been surfacing, with Butler and LeBron as main options
Golden State’s loss against Houston isn’t the only incredible story surfacing from their camp, as this week there has been a lot of speculation about the team searching for another superstar to join Stephen Curry on the action. According to NBA insiders, LeBron James and Jimmy Butler are the biggest names on the radar.
“I know this is one of the most fascinating opportunities in the league, it’s a delicious situation to think about,” Brian Windhorst said on Get Up, as the rumours surrounding the future of all-time NBA leading scorer simply don’t seem to go away.
The idea of LeBron pairing up with Curry has only grown since they won the Paris-Olympics gold medal together. “The Warriors have dreamed of pairing LeBron with Steph Curry and Draymond Green since last year,” he kept at it. “That was before LeBron played with Steve Kerr and Steph Curry and won the gold medal over the summer.”
“They will definitely monitor the situation,” the NBA insider insisted. “I would just say with LeBron, it’s up to him. He has a no-trade clause and has given no indication he wants the Lakers to do anything but upgrade the roster they’ve got, not that he wants to go anywhere.”
