AP Photo/Steve Dykes
- Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was ejected on Wednesday night after throwing his clipboard and berating officials over a foul called on Draymond Green.
- Green had been called for a common foul, but the call was upgraded to a flagrant 1 after review - a decision Kerr immediately took issue with.
- After the game, both Kerr and Green were light-hearted about the exchange, though both still expressed disappointment in the call.
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr got an early start to the All-Star break on Wednesday night after being ejected late in the fourth quarter of the Warriors game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Kerr was set off after Warriors forward Draymond Green fouled Blazers big man Zach Collins.
While Green was initially awarded a common foul, the officials upgraded the call to a flagrant 1 after huddling to review the play.
Kerr was livid with the decision, and wasted no time letting his feelings be known to official Kenny Mauer, throwing down his clipboard and getting right in the face of the referee, prompting his ejection.
After the game, Kerr had cooled off a bit, joking with reporters, but still expressing disappointment in the decsion.
"I was just shocked that it was called a flagrant foul," Kerr said. "That was head-scratching that could be called a flagrant foul. I mean, the guy's going to go up for a dunk, you got to make sure he doesn't dunk it. So I told Kenny I beg to differ."
Green, whose sometimes over-aggressive defended has lead to many officials passing on giving him the benefit of the doubt, joked about the "Draymond Rule" after the game.
"I don't know, it's the 'Draymond Rule,'" Green told reporters. "I knew they would look at it because they always look at fouls with me," Green said, adding that he's "been officiated a certain way for years."
The Warriors were already trailing 110-103 before the fracas erupted, and would go on to lose the game 129-107 thanks in no small part to a flurry of free shots awarded to the Blazers once the dust had settled.
Still, Golden State enters the All-Star break as the top team in the Western Conference and as long and Kerr and Green can keep their wits about them through the playoffs, the unequivocal favorites to take home the 2019 NBA Championship.
This is the flagrant foul that led to Steve Kerr spiking his clipboard and getting tossed. pic.twitter.com/3FK224Wuhn
- SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 14, 2019
KD had to hold Steve Kerr back 😳 pic.twitter.com/94wkOPiXGh
- ESPN (@espn) February 14, 2019
Steve Kerr jokingly told reporters to "get the f-- out of my way" on way to his presser and then explained what set him off about that flagrant call pic.twitter.com/S7QSvA6x7k
- Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 14, 2019
Draymond Green on the questionable flagrant, the "Draymond rule", the Steve Kerr ejection, the Klay-Collins beef: "I enjoyed that. (Klay) was talking bad to that dude." pic.twitter.com/sp7vNUrV9n
- Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 14, 2019