Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr doesn’t want to hear an admission of a missed traveling call in Game One of the Western Conference Finals.
On the surface, it hasn’t been a good NBA playoffs for some of the officials who have called games in the postseason. Controversial plays and missed calls have peppered the first two rounds of the playoffs and already had an impact on the Western Conference Finals.
An apparent travel by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was not called with seconds to go in Game One against the Golden State Warriors, a play that would have given the Warriors the ball trailing by just three points.
Tuesday, the NBA released their report on the final two minutes of the game (something being done for all playoff games) and admitted that a traveling call should have been whistled. That did little for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who thinks the practice of these reports is doing nothing but picking on the refs:
"“I appreciate the NBA trying to be transparent, but it’s unfair to the officials. I feel like it throws them under the bus. They have an impossible job. They really do. And there are going to be bad calls both ways, every game. They’re never going to be perfect. They’re doing the best they can. I don’t think there’s any point, personally, in exposing bad calls. It doesn’t serve a purpose to me.”"
Kerr was adamant about believing there had been a travel immediately following the game, but wouldn’t take a shot at the officials. It was the second time in the postseason that the Thunder won a game in controversial fashion, following a win over the San Antonio Spurs where an offensive foul by Dion Waiters wasn’t called by officials and was later said to be the incorrect call.
Game Two between the Warriors and Thunder tip-off at 9 PM Wednesday from Oracle Arena in Oakland, California as Golden State looks to avoid back to back losses for the first time all season.
For more NBA Playoff news, check out our NBA Playoff hub page.