Terry Stotts explains the dismissal of Steve Kerr

first time in a while Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr he didn’t go to the podium after the game, and with good reasonaccording to the assistant coach Terry Stotts.

“I’m here to save Steve some money,” Stotts said with a sly smile. “That’s the only reason I’m here.”

Kerr was ejected at 7:57 of the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 103-102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers after officials missed a clear field goal on Warriors forward Gary Payton II’s layup attempt by Clippers forward John Collins. Peyton and Stotts had to restrain the demonstrative Kerr as he yelled at crew chief Brian Forte, leading to two high-speed technicals and a subsequent ejection.

“There were probably some other things, but that was probably the final straw,” Stotts said, hinting at other missed calls.

Officials did not approve the previous possession Stephen Curry a follow-up to a foul that ended with the keeper knocking in a wild floater. They called a foul on the ground and took away a potential three-point opportunity. Stotts said the Warriors were not given an explanation as to why the shot was taken away. For Curry, he found the ruling inconsistent his past experiences.

“Usually if it’s a 50/50 call either way, you let it go where the basket goes and then you just play on,” Curry said. “I’ve never seen a call get delayed… It’s hard to miss both of them in a changing situation like that.”

The shootout fails the Warriors’ comeback attempt

In a vacuum, those calls cost Golden State five points in a game decided by one point. But while the trial provoked big frustrations for Golden Statewhat ultimately doomed them was their poor shooting from anyone not named Curry or Jimmy Butler. The Warriors shot 10-of-41 from beyond the arc, negating the fact that they actually won the turnover battle 7-to0-20.

Still, despite their shooting woes and despite missing Kerr for the series, the Warriors pushed late in the fourth to give themselves a chance to steal the win. Curry hit two 3-pointers to cut the lead to one with 1:05 left in the game. But on the next defensive play, Curry committed his sixth foul, reaching for Chris Dunn, which left the Dubs without their Hall of Fame star and Hall of Fame coach.

With the game on the line, the Warriors went to Butler in the post – not a bad plan B by any means. But his hard-contested fadeaway missed and let the Clippers hang on. Curry finished with 27 points and Butler with 24.

“I thought we played well. We couldn’t hit,” summed up Draymond Green. Green finished with 12 points and a +15 plus/minus after suffering a rib contusion and ankle tweak in the same game.

“We missed a lot of shots that we normally make or can make. But we took care of the ball and didn’t foul. I thought we did a lot of good things. Forced turnovers. We just didn’t capitalize enough. In a game where you force 20 turnovers, you only have 7 turnovers, we probably should have had 130 or 140 (points).

The official explanation of Steve Kerr’s expulsion

After the game, ClutchPoints’ Tomer Azarly made a pool report with crew chief Forte, who stated that Kerr directed “swear words” at the officials, which warranted his ejection. Forte admitted that the team missed Collins’ goalie, but that the play could not be reviewed.

“(Gary) Payton’s shot hit the backboard before Collins touched it. It should have been called a goalie foul. The only way it could have been called is if it was called to the floor and the Clippers are challenging the call because it didn’t happen in the last two minutes of the game.”

As for the continuation of Curry’s layup, Forte confirmed that the decision on the floor was correct.

“Collins grabbed Curry’s hip before the huddle,” Forte told Azarly. “And this was correctly called a foul without a shot.”

After the game, Warriors players echoed Kerr’s anger and frustration. Payton said Kerr’s ejection gave them a “spark” and appreciated the coach’s willingness to stand up for the players. Curry also echoed Peyton’s sentiments.

“Coach did the right thing,” Curry said. “We responded in the right way, gave ourselves a chance to win. But on the road, it’s a difficult moment.”

Golden State will return home 19-18 on the season. The next eight games will be played at home.