Steve Kerr isn’t mincing words when it comes to what he sees as a loophole in NBA officiating—and the controversy surrounding Dillon Brooks has only strengthened his case. After Game 5 of the Warriors-Rockets series, Kerr called out a rising trend in the league: defenders exploiting the rule that allows contact on a shooter’s arm after the ball is released. With Stephen Curry nursing an injured thumb, the Warriors’ coach hinted that Brooks may have taken deliberate aim during a first-quarter contest.
While Brooks hasn’t exactly denied the accusation, Kerr is doubling down, calling for a rule change and reigniting the debate in a recent podcast appearance.
Returning to the ‘Willard & Dibs’ podcast, Kerr highlighted his belief that, at the highest level of competition, the best basketball players in the world “are going to do whatever is within the rules to win the game”. He feels strongly that the league, as a whole, has gone down the path where they’ve decided to call the ‘high-fives’ legal, even if one ‘high-fives’ a shooter.
Sure, one can high-five the rival player after the ball is released, but doing so on a shot is something that, Kerr believes, should only be allowed in pick-up basketball. This ideology of his, as the HC highlighted, is something that is universally accepted amongst his NBA peers.
“And so, I can tell you, all 30 coaches, as I said, we all believe that should be a foul if you high-five a guy. The league decided it was not,” Kerr said. “And what happened then was the same thing that happens with every rule at the league institute”.
Dillon Brooks didn’t shy away from the accusations. After Warriors broadcasters Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike, along with Steve Kerr, called him out for allegedly targeting Stephen Curry’s injured thumb, Brooks addressed the controversy head-on. “I’ve been playing the game,” he said postgame. “If [someone] had an injured ankle, I would attack that ankle every single time. So, whatever they’re saying on the broadcast, they can keep saying it.”
Dec 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and guard Stephen Curry (30) look on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Brooks didn’t deny the tactic—instead, he justified it as strategic, equating it to exploiting any visible weakness. His response made one thing clear: he’s unfazed by the criticism. To him, the noise from the broadcast booth or the Warriors’ bench changes nothing about how he plays the game.
It is not a shocking belief that Dillon Brooks likes to get his hands dirty on the NBA court. If there was ever a player in the modern NBA who could match the demeanour of the 90s ‘Bad Boys’ Detroit Pistons, it is this player. Now, the Rockets‘ menace has brought back his high-fives, causing Steve Kerr to appeal to the good nature of Adam Silver and the other NBA officials.
“And so, all this year, you’ve got guys all over the league, including our guys, Draymond does it all the time, guy releases the shot, you’re not allowed to run into him. You know, like the Zaza rule, when Kawhi stepped on his ankle, sprained his ankle, like that’s a flagrant foul, right? You can’t run into the body. You can’t step underneath the shooter. But, because the league has decided you’re allowed to smack the guy with a high five, or hit him on the wrist after the release, guys are just hammering, hammering shooters, and this is…. it’s the bane of our existence” Kerr added. “Head coaches, we all complain about it constantly. It’s nuts, and I have no doubt that it will be changed this summer”.
For the rule to get changed, however, Kerr said the whole process will have to go through a “red tape and competition committee” type procedure, in which the coaches will get to vote. Till then, the problem will continue to exist.
Both the Warriors‘ head coach and the players realize that they can’t do anything about Dillon Brooks’ antics. Therefore, they have adopted a more ‘tolerable’ approach to things, which has become noticeable to a few NBA analysts.
Marcus Thompson highlights Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry’s unusual behaviour towards NBA officials: “purposely not criticizing….”
It is no secret that Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry are not always big fans of the referees’ officiating. As the star player once highlighted, “It exhausts me. One thousand percent more than any defense. You get distracted and waste energy yelling at the refs”. Things got so frustrating for him sometimes that Curry revealed, “I’ve thrown a mouthpiece or two … or three … or four”.
Remember, this comes from a player who is usually known for his calm demeanour. Therefore, when playing against a physical team like the Houston Rockets, and especially against a player like Dillon Brooks, it would be the task for Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr to call for every foul opportunity, and make their displeasure known when things don’t go their way. Unfortunately, that is not something that either Curry or Kerr is choosing to do.
Marcus Thompson & Anthony Slater recently released another episode of the ‘Warriors Plus/Minus’ podcast to discuss Game 5 in Houston. During the same time, Thompson revealed that “Steve has been openly….. Steve has been like very, you know, purposely not criticizing the officials in this series. Steph isn’t either, though. If’s it a foul, they should call…… like, yeah, that’s on the refs, man. They got to call a foul. They call it, they call if they don’t, you just keep playing. Like he’s not really, he just didn’t want a part in it”. Woah!
Dec 30, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) watches as head coach Steve Kerr reacts during the first quarter of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images
This tolerance may bring the Warriors closer to playing clean basketball, and not something that is solely built on foul calls. Unfortunately, when playing against a team like the Houston Rockets, one has to get their hands dirty.
Furthermore, Stephen Curry and co lead only by a 3-2 win record. In the end, however, the star coach and star player know what’s best for the team. Who knows, maybe the Warriors can start giving out some ‘high fives’ too. That would be one way to get Dillon Brooks distracted.
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