After the Golden State Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 145-144 in double overtime on Saturday, Steve Kerr may have torn off the referees in the same way that Stephen Curry tore off his blue and gold jersey as he left the Chase Centre court.
However, the 58-year-old coach had every excuse to abstain from the press conference following the game because Ann, Kerr’s mother, was seated there.
“I want to be on my best behavior, so I’m not going comment on the 43 free throws (the Lakers shot) to our 16,” he said, wryly. “I’m not going to comment on (Curry) shooting three free throws in 43 minutes. I’m not going to comment on that.”
Instead, Kerr exaggerated his sense of hope following his team’s 58 captivating minutes of play, despite the fact that they lost both their nine-point lead with 3:58 remaining in regulation and their 15-point advantage in the third quarter. Due to their lack of offensive fire, the Lakers forced overtime, which allowed LeBron James, Curry’s opponent and another four-time NBA champion, to return to prominence in Northern California.
James scored 12 of his 36 points in the extra sessions, including the game-winning free throw in the closing seconds after driving past Warriors defender Draymond Green, displaying all of Curry’s theatrics in their 50th meeting, which included the postseason and play-in. In addition to Curry’s season-high 46 points, James’ 20 rebounds and 12 assists offset his scores. In the last five minutes, Curry made two game-winning 3-pointers, the first with 1:22 left and the second with 5.7 seconds left, electrifying Chase Centre.
