Kerr ejected as Curry fouled out: do the Warriors have a discipline problem?

An avalanche begins with one snowflake, then a snowball, then an entire mountain. And for the Golden State Warriors, their disciplinary problem may be rolling down the slope just a little faster than before.

A slim 103-102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers saw tempers flare on and off the court, with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr seeing red and being ejected from the sideline after an outburst that was very much NSFW.

The 60-year-old tactician could be seen making his feelings clear to the refereeing team after Curry saw two points scrubbed off following a call for a foul. The California crowd were on their feet as the visiting players reacted angrily to the decision.

Play continued and seconds later, Gary Payton II had a layup blocked by John Collins. However, replays showed Collins made contact with the ball after it had touched the backboard, meaning it should have been a goal tend.

These two events acted as catalysts for an already tense tie to boil over, with Kerr’s assistants the only thing literally holding him back from getting anywhere near the officials.

Two technical fouls followed in quick succession, resulting in his ejection with just under eight minutes to play. And the crash did not stop there: with 43 seconds left Curry made his sixth foul of the night, and stood for the remainder where his head coach should have been, on the sideline.

Butler then missed a jumper at the buzzer that would have won the game for the Warriors.

Kerr and Curry sent packing by referees

“It’s usually play on [if it’s a made shot],” Curry said on the first of the two controversies. “I’ve never seen it where it’s a delayed call and then ‘Oh, it’s a foul,’ and then, ‘Oh, no basket.’” As for Kerr, he rejected the opportunity to speak to the media, sending his assistant Terry Stotts instead. The reason was, in his words, “to save Steve some money” from an inevitable fine.

In the words of Snoop Dogg, who joined regular announcers Reggie Miller and Terry Gannon for the game, “the Arizona Wildcat came out of him there.”

The crazy game comes amid a period of drama for the Warriors, who have seen star man Draymond Green ejected twice in quick succession for comments against officials. The San Francisco outfit sit on a 19-18 record and are 8th in the Western Conference, with their inconsistencies on the court causing issues when it comes to keeping a cool head.

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If their head coach cannot do so then it raises questions about the team’s overall mentality, and how far the current crop can go as they try to ride through this sticky stint.

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