If Stephen Curry is going to get flack for throwing his mouthpiece, he isn’t going to get it from his coach.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was upset with the officials — but not with Curry, who was ejected in the fourth quarter after fouling out — following his team's 115-101 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Kerr let the refs have it in his postgame news conference.
“I’m happy he threw his mouthpiece. He should be upset,” Kerr said. “It’s the Finals, and everybody is competing out there. There’s fouls on every play, it’s a physical game.”
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Curry fouled out with 4:22 to play. After picking up his sixth foul, he confronted referee Jason Phillips and tossed his mouthpiece, which struck a fan, before he was escorted to the locker room.
“If they’re going to let Cleveland grab and hold these guys constantly on their cuts, (and) then you’re going to call these ticky-tack fouls on the MVP of the league to foul them out, I don’t agree with that,” Kerr said.
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Kerr harped on the fact Curry is the league MVP.
“He’s the MVP of the league," he said again. "He gets six fouls called on him, three of them were absolutely ridiculous. He steals the ball from Kyrie (Irving) clean at one point. LeBron (James) flops on the last one. Jason Phillips falls for that, for a flop. As the MVP of the league, we’re talking about these touch fouls in the NBA Finals."
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The Warriors will return to Oakland with the series tied 3-3, but can find comfort in knowing they have home-court advantage at Oracle Arena, where they have only lost four times in the regular season and postseason. And for that, Kerr is that is one thing to leave Cleveland knowing.
“You get one home game to win the NBA title," he said. "That’s not a bad deal.”