The Los Angeles Lakers hold a commanding 3-1 lead over the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals.
The Warriors recently lost Game 4 of the series after blowing a 12-point lead during the matchup. After the game, Kerr opened up about how the Lakers players did a great job of selling their flops to the referees. The Warriors head coach also urged the NBA to penalize players for flopping like FIBA.
“I think, to me, what I’ve learned coaching in FIBA — FIBA has a great rule, there’s a flop rule, and if a referee deems that a player has flopped, they just call a technical foul and it’s pretty penalizing. So, the flopping has basically been eliminated from FIBA. We have the ability to do the same thing in the NBA if we want.”
Kerr added: “I think we should address it because the players are so smart and the entire regular season is about gamesmanship and trying to fool the refs, and this is how it’s been for a while. It’s up to us as a league, do we want to fix this? Because if not, we’ll just get the Chris Paul swipe through at half-court when you’re in the bonus and for some reason, we’re shooting two free throws at a critical time of a playoff game when nothing has happened, nobody’s gained an advantage. So, my personal plea to the NBA (is) I think we can do better, in terms of cleaning up the flopping.”
Kerr finished by taking a shot at the Lakers: “In the meantime, I give the Lakers credit for the plays that they’ve been able to sell.”
Steve Kerr would like to see the NBA address its flopping issue and suggests implementing rules similar to FIBA pic.twitter.com/yqg98IPnua
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 10, 2023
The defending champions of the NBA are getting utterly outmatched by the Lakers in terms of getting the whistle.
The Steve Kerr-led side now has a mountain to climb for the remainder of the series as they welcome the Lakers to the Chase Center for Game 5.
Steve Kerr Called Out Lakers Players And Referees After Game 4
Steve Kerr and the Warriors are on the verge of getting eliminated from the playoffs in the second round.
The Warriors head coach pointed fingers at the refs are a 101-104 Game 4 loss vs. the Lakers. Kerr even called out the Lakers players for flopping in the matchup.
“I think we had three or four illegal screens called, and that was disappointing,” Kerr said. “I didn’t get a look at the replay on any of them. But there were a couple that were very disappointing just live. 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. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe those were all illegal screens but didn’t feel like it watching it live.”
For the series, the Lakers have shot 103 free throws as compared to the Warriors’ 51 attempts so far. The disparity between the two teams is quite obvious.
Keeping that in mind, it’s understandable why Warriors and Kerr are frustrated with the refs this series. Will they get a fair whistle in the crucial Game 5 of the series? Or will they be sent home in the Western Conference Semifinals? It will be a great matchup for neutral fans for sure.
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