With 0.1 seconds left in the first quarter of the Chicago Bulls-Golden State Warriors game at the United Center, Stephen Curry threw the ball off Bulls shooting guard David Nwaba's back side to run out the clock.
A visibly frustrated Steph Curry tossed the ball off David Nwaba's back at the end of the 1st quarter. pic.twitter.com/x7uJ9aWbEl
— ESPN (@espn) January 18, 2018
This didn't sit well with a lot of fans, resulting into a social media barrage criticizing Curry for his actions. The Warriors superstar wasn't just going to brush it off — he took the time to respond to one of his critics onTwitter.
Uhhh. 0.1 seconds on the clock. Pretty smart way to end the Quarter if you ask me. But what do I know? I’d tell the kids to do the same thing.
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) January 18, 2018
Whether the gesture was malicious or not, it's debatable. As seen in the video, Nwaba and the Bulls bench didn't have any negative reactions about it.
Even if the gesture was a way to vent out his frustration, it is still understandable. NBA players made it that far in life by being highly competitive and letting the Bulls score eight points in the last 29 seconds of the first quarter is one way to challenge that competitiveness.
But let's also remember the Twitter user's argument — players should also think before they act, because a big portion of their audience are kids who see them as role models.
The game had another notable incident which also happened in the first quarter when Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen blocked Curry in a way that sent the ball back into Curry's face.
Lauri Markkanen block off Steph's head. loll pic.twitter.com/WHgWnGtoRE
— ✶ Ⓜ️𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕤 ▶️ ✶ (@_MarcusD2_) January 18, 2018
The game ended with a score of 119-112, favoring the visiting Warriors. Curry had 30 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the outing, which gave Golden State its 14th straight victory on the road.