Kerr’s Detailed Analysis: Steve Kerr Labels Nikola Jokic’s Fouls ‘BS’
Steve Kerr Calls Nikola Jokic’s 18 ‘Baiting’ Free Throws ‘Disgusting’
Steve Kerr is displeased with Nikola Jokic’s 18 free throw attempts in one game. However, he is not criticizing the individual, but rather the NBA’s regulations. This comes after the Warriors’ Christmas game against the Denver Nuggets.
Steve Kerr Thinks Nikola Jokic’s Fouls Were ‘BS’
The post-game press conference highlights the Warriors head coach’s issue with the whole game. Anthony Slater‘s video of Kerr’s responses sheds light on his thoughts about the referees’ calls and the league’s rules.
He prefaces it with his thoughts about the game’s referees—that is, he has no problem with them.
“I have no problem with the officials themselves, all across the league we have really good officials.”
Steve Kerr
However, he does have a big problem with the league’s approach towards contact between players.
Furthermore, this is highlighted by the amount of free throws the Nuggets received that game, 32 specifically. Additionally, Jokic’s free throws surpass 50 percent of the team’s at a whopping 18 shots.
Kerr puts himself into a fan’s shoes and thinks he wouldn’t want to watch a game that heavily relies on baiting fouls for free throws.
“I have a problem with the way we are legislating defense out of the game. The way we’re teaching the officials, we’re just enabling players to BS their way to the foul line. If I were a fan, I wouldn’t want to watch the second half of that game. It was disgusting. It was just baiting refs into calls.”
Steve Kerr
Meanwhile, he appreciates how players have grown and adapted to the game. He posits that they’ve learned to take full advantage of fouls by familiarizing themselves with the contact rules.
“The players are really smart in this league. For over the last decade or so, they’ve gotten smarter and smarter. We have enabled the players and they’re taking full advantage and it’s a parade to the free throw line and it’s disgusting to watch.”
Steve Kerr
Did The Free Throws Make A Difference?
Short answer? Yes. It did make a difference in the end. Considering the Nuggets made 26 of their 32 attempts, it helped widen the gap between the scoreline of 114-120.
Missed free throws or, better, no foul calls would have helped the Warriors keep the game close.
However, it’s also important to note that Kerr’s Warriors garnered 23 free throw attempts, making 20 of those.
Ultimately, it’s a lost game, and fans can only speculate. Furthermore, Draymond Green is still indefinitely suspended, which could also be a factor.
There’s also the question of “bad” referee calls that the league’s been observing recently. However, that’s for the league itself to deal with.
Meanwhile, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s stellar defense against Stephen Curry might also be a huge factor in their win.
Do you think Kerr has a point about how many fouls and free throws the Nuggets received?
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