Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
There were plenty of talking points from Sunday night’s 110-107 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. A gutsy performance from a shorthanded Golden State Warriors roster. A late lead that slipped away. A five-game losing streak that keeps growing. But the moment that travelled furthest after the final buzzer was not a shot or a stat. It was Steve Kerr on the sideline, pointing and screaming at rookie Will Richard during a second-quarter turnover.
The cameras caught everything. The microphones picked up the words. “The ball matters!” Kerr shouted. “The ball is everything!” Fans noticed it immediately, and Kerr addressed it directly when he spoke to reporters after the game. What he said was more measured than the moment itself.
Warriors’ Kerr Explains What Happened With Will Richard
Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors.
Kerr did not hide from it. He explained the sequence, acknowledged where he was wrong, and was candid about his reaction. “I was upset with him,” Kerr said. “But I kind of regret losing my composure a little bit there. It’s my job to keep the guys going, especially when we’re without so many players.”
The play that sparked it saw Brandin Podziemski attempt to hit Richard on a fastbreak, but the pass was long and sent Richard chasing it toward the sideline. As he fell out of bounds, Richard threw the ball back inbounds, but it bounced off Podziemski and turned the ball over. Kerr initially thought Richard was trying to get creative with the ball rather than simply trying to save it. He also pointed the finger partly at the source of the problem. It was a bad pass from Podziemski, Kerr noted, and Richard should have had a dunk. Instead, it became a five-point swing when OG Anunoby hit a three on the other end.
Warriors’ Richard Responded in the Right Way
GettyWill Richard of the Golden State Warriors.
What made the moment more uncomfortable was context. Richard had picked up an offensive foul on the previous possession, which had already put Kerr on edge. Two negative plays in a row, on national television, with the lead evaporating. It was enough to push the veteran coach over the line.
Richard did not let it derail him. He finished the game with five points and three steals, including a poster dunk on Anunoby in the third quarter that briefly lifted the building. Whatever was said in that timeout, he came back out and competed. That detail did not go unnoticed.
Final Word for Golden State
Kerr has been here before. The very public disagreement with Draymond Green in December was another moment where emotion spilled over, and Kerr took responsibility then too. It says something about the pressure this roster is under right now, missing eight players and fighting to hold onto a play-in spot on a brutal road trip.
He regrets it. He said so. And in a season this difficult, with this much going wrong, the fact that he keeps holding his players together at all is the more important part of the story.
Keith Watkins Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins
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