How did the Lakers respond to Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s accusations of ‘flopping?’
The Lakers have now responded to the Warriors’ coach who implied that they are a team that benefits from simulating fouls which referees then call.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham made it very clear that he did not appreciate the accusations of Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, who stated that the Lakers are flopping and using gamesmanship to benefit from refereeing decisions.
Lakers respond to Steve Kerr’s accusations about ‘flopping’
Following the team’s loss to the Warriors in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series, Lakers head coach, Darvin Ham gave a frank response to accusations made by Golden State’s head coach, Steve Kerr, who said the Warriors were guilty of flopping.
“We play a physical brand of basketball,” Ham said after the 121-106 loss in Game 5. “We don’t teach flopping, we don’t teach head snaps. You see (LeBron James), he’s got a thousand scratches on his arms, same with (Anthony Davis), same with Austin Reaves, same with Lonnie Walker. ...It’s unfortunate that it comes to that, but we hadn’t done it all year, and we’re damn sure not going to start now, looking for a third party to dive in and help us.” Interestingly, LeBron James himself also had something to say about the issue. “I just know that our coaching staff and us players, we don’t work on flopping. That’s not even a part of our game. Our game is to attack, attack the paint. We don’t mind physical contact. We actually like the contact. We don’t shy away from it. ...We’re just not a team that goes out there looking for flopping opportunities. That’s just not us. It’s actually never been any team that I’ve played on in my 20 years where we’ve been a flopping team.”
What did Steve Kerr say about the Lakers?
In case you’re wondering how this all started, the catalyst came after the Warriors lost 104-101 in a tightly contested Game 4. At the time, Kerr complained post-game about his team getting called for a handful of illegal screens in the fourth quarter, calls he believed were inaccurate. “The Lakers, they’re a team that plays with a lot of gamesmanship. They understand how to generate some calls. I thought they took some flops and were rewarded. But I’ll have to see the replays.” Following Wednesday night’s key win to avoid elimination, Kerr once again addressed the situation saying, “Yeah, there was definitely some gamesmanship,” he said. “And look, I give them credit. You know, if you can sell a call in this league, then do it. Whatever it takes to win.” We’re guessing this isn’t the last we’re going to hear about this. Watch this space.