Here's Why Steve Kerr Was Furious At His Players During The Warriors-Jazz Game

On Monday night, cameras caught Steve Kerr lashing out at his players during a timeout in the Golden State Warriors-Utah Jazz game. For those wondering what all the fuss was about, it was because a defensive lapse by the Warriors finally pushed Kerr beyond his limit.

Here’s what happened: In the opening 10 minutes of the game, Jazz guard Keyonte George had gotten into a rhythm, making all three of his attempts from beyond the arc and scoring 10 early points. Despite George’s flawless production from deep, the Warriors let him get away with a wide-open three-point shot toward the end of the quarter.

At the 1:58 mark of the opening frame, Jazz floor general Isaiah Collier ran a pick-and-roll with Kyle Filipowski on the left wing. Immediately afterward, Kyle Anderson relocated to the baseline. The presence of two Jazz forwards in the paint drew the attention of four Warriors defenders, allowing Collier to make a skip pass that set up George for an entirely unhindered three from the right wing.

As soon as George caught the ball, Kerr put up his hands in disgust. With the ball in the air, Kerr started walking onto the court, called a timeout to halt the action, and gave his team a piece of his mind.

That early error on defense was a sign of things to come, as the Western Conference showdown at the Delta Center turned out to be a high-scoring affair. Though Kerr would have preferred it if his team had better contained the opponents’ production, the Jazz went on to score 117 points, just a shade under their season average of 118.1.

To the Warriors’ credit, though, they ultimately prevailed by scoring more than the home team. Steph Curry finished with 31 points on 6-for-17 shooting from beyond the arc, while frenemies Buddy Hield and Jimmy Butler combined for 38 points and nine assists. The Jazz themselves weren’t too impressive on the defensive end, as they allowed Golden State to shoot 49.0% from the field.

For multi-titled coaches like Kerr, who has four championships as a head coach in addition to his five rings in his playing career, there are extremely high standards to meet in order to establish winning habits. Though the Warriors ultimately secured the 134–117 victory on Monday, mistakes like the wide-open George three are best kept at a maximum of zero.