The Houston Rockets complaining to officials has quickly turned into one of the NBA’s greatest past times (if past times were incredibly annoying and repetitive).
Houston met the Golden State Warriors on Sunday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals at Oracle Arena. The final minutes turned rather chaotic, with Chris Paul being ejected with 4.4 seconds remaining. Paul complained to official Josh Tiven that a foul had not been called on James Harden’s 3-point attempt just five seconds early. Had he converted, that shot would have tied the game.
The main complaint on this particular attempt was that Draymond Green, Harden’s primary defender, didn’t give the all-star guard enough room to land, but it came as the final gripe in a long list of criticisms from the Houston sideline. Both Paul and head coach Mike D’Antoni were given technical fouls at the end of the third quarter.
To no one’s surprise, the Rockets voiced their complaints during their postgame press conferences, causing Warriors head coach Steve Kerr to send some subtle jabs their way on Monday.
Before Kerr began his Monday media availability, he pretended to flop backward, just like Harden, while claiming a foul.
Check it out:
Well done.
Kerr did get serious after his initial humorous response, speaking on the protests coming from Houston.
“I don’t remember people falling down on 3-point shots all the time when I played,” Kerr told reporters in Oakland, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “The game has gotten, so much deception is part of the game that it’s very, very difficult to officiate. … I am disappointed this has become the whole narrative when it should be about two great teams competing against each other.”
It didn’t take long for someone on the opposing side to respond. Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey pulled out the receipts on Twitter one hour later.
Morey simply tweeted a link to a Bleacher Report article titled, “Steve Kerr Reportedly Fined for Criticizing NBA Referees for Missed Calls”.
Well played.
The NBA never disappoints.
