After flopping onto a reporter, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said referees are doing the best they can, everyone should move on after perceived bad calls and it’s a shame the Rockets are making officiating such a big deal.
But remember when Steve Kerr said this in 2016?“How is it that everybody on Earth can see these traveling violations except for the three people that we pay to do the job? I don’t get it…. But I can literally put together a blooper reel of plays that are embarrassing travels that are just not called. I believe it’s a case of they have so many things to look at — they are looking at defensive three seconds, the contact in the lane when people are cutting through the lane, they’re looking at the charge and block circle — they’re looking at everything except what they should be looking at which is the basic rule of the game, which is traveling.
“And it’s a shame because guys are getting away with murder out there and the fans see it. My favorite is when you see the visiting team travel and you see like a 1,000 fans in the background all doing the traveling signal with their hands. If those people saw it, how come the refs didn’t?”
Houston general manager Daryl Morey remembers.
Morey:
— Daryl MorΞy 🗽🏀 (@dmorey) April 29, 2019
Morey is right: Kerr is a hypocrite. When calls work against the Warriors, Kerr frequently argues with the referees – including sometimes carrying his complaints beyond games. Kerr is taking the high road now because Golden State won Game 1 with a favorable whistle.
But Morey is only contributing to the toxic culture surrounding the Rockets, who seem way too focused on things other than just playing better – the one thing they can control. They can’t control the referees. They can’t control Kerr’s sanctimony. But if they play better, they still have a chance in this series.
At least this is right on brand for Morey and Kerr.