Even for fines you knew were coming, the NBA acted mighty swiftly.
Stephen Curry (throwing his mouthpiece into the crowd) and Steve Kerr (running wild on the officiating) got tagged this morning.
NBA release:Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr have each been fined $25,000 for separate incidents, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
Curry has been fined $25,000 for throwing his mouthpiece into the spectator stands. The incident, which resulted in a technical foul and subsequent ejection for Curry, occurred with 4:22 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 115-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game 6 of The Finals on June 16 at Quicken Loans Arena.
Kerr has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of the officiating during his press conference following the same game.
Curry’s punishment is exactly right. There’s strong precedent for getting fined for throwing a mouthpiece into the crowd and suspended for throwing it at a ref. Because Curry threw it at a fan, he gets the lesser penalty. The appropriateness of the line is debatable, but the NBA drew it clearly.
Kerr got his money’s worth. He was FAR more critical of the officiating than Tyronn Lue, who drew an identical fine for his criticism of the referees. Will this open the door for coaches to make their verbal attacks on officiating sharper? If the cost is the same, why not?