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The Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs game came down to the wire. But instead of set plays and dynamic offenses to finish of the game, it came down to fouls and free throws.
With the game tied and the game clock at 18.7 seconds, both teams were called for controversial fouls that led to free throws to break the deadlock. First was in the Warriors' favor, with Andrew Wiggins splitting a couple of free throws. But then the next was a questionable call that went against Golden State, giving the same result but ending up in the Spurs' favor with a Keldon Johnson putback for the win.
Andrew Wiggins converted the first free throw to give the Warriors a one-point lead. But, after missing the second, Kevon Looney was called for a loose-ball foul. The rest was history. pic.twitter.com/KZ5WW7msWA
— Positive Residual (@presidual) March 21, 2022
The final outcome didn't work in Golden State's favor, falling 110-108, which drew a rather stern take from Warriors head coach Steve Kerr who was utterly perplexed by both calls.
Via Anthony Slater:
Article Continues Below“I thought the two fouls in the end were bizarre. Bizarre fouls. I was watching the play when Wiggs got fouled. I guess they called it on Poeltl. I was shocked by that one and I was shocked by the one on the rebound.”
To Kerr, those plays should have instead resulted in a play on with no calls being assessed on either side. While some of those calls may be made during the regular flow of a game, referees tend to swallow their whistles for light calls like those during the closing moments of games, letting players dictate the outcome without the whistles playing a bigger role than they need to. That's what Steve Kerr harped on after the Warriors loss.
“I don't know how those calls can be made. To call fouls in that situations, both of them, one that went for us and one that went against us, I don't understand how we can decide the game based on plays that have nothing to do with the game. Players are supposed to decide the game. Wiggs had the ball. It's up to him to create a little space, get it out of traffic, and get someone a game-winning look,” the Warriors coach continued.
“And on the last one, there was a scramble for the ball. Everybody in the locker room was telling me after the game that they had no idea Looney got called for the foul. They got tangled up. It's just how every play goes. More than anything, I was shocked at the two foul calls.”
The Warriors have now lost their grip on the second seed in the West, falling behind the Memphis Grizzlies by 1.5 games while being up just two games on the Utah Jazz for fourth place. The final 11 games could be monumental for how their postseason matchups shakeout. Keeping pace with their competitors has the added difficulty of not having Stephen Curry, who continued to nurse his injury while targeting a return before the playoffs.
A loss like this one against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night could make a huge difference for the Golden State Warriors when the dust finally settles.
