The Golden State Warriors began unraveling well before Chris Paul was ejected late in the second quarter of their ugly loss to the Phoenix Suns. Down Draymond Green and Gary Payton II with Stephen Curry having a rare off night, odds are the Dubs wouldn't have stormed back for a come-from-behind victory on Wednesday night if Paul hadn't been tossed by longtime officiating nemesis Scott Foster.

Still, that hardly means the Point God's ejection for continued arguing was warranted, as Steve Kerr laid out after the game.

“I think Scott just felt like Chris didn't stop and he kept going, and that's why he gave him the second one. So that was his explanation,” Kerr said. “I didn't think Chris deserved to be ejected. The first tech? Absolutely. But I thought the second one was unnecessary. Everybody gets frustrated out there, but that's up to the official.”

Video of the interaction between Paul and Foster shows the former not relenting after receiving his initial technical foul. Pointing at Foster while failing to curb his criticism is apparently all the veteran referee needed to end Paul's night early.

Chris Paul's ejection doomed Warriors vs. Suns

Regardless of whether Paul deserved to be ejected, his confrontation with Foster still counts as head-scratching because it came after such an obvious foul. Golden State had lost control of the game before he put two hands in Kevin Durant's midsection, coughing up a whopping nine second quarter turnovers, committing a series of defensive breakdowns and getting dominated on the offensive glass.

Perhaps Paul arguing the call was just his frustration at those dispiriting development boiling over?

“It was a big deal. We need him, obviously,” Kerr said of Paul's ejection. “We're without Draymond, without Gary, we're already short-handed and Chris knows that. It was unfortunate.”

Paul's competitive fire helped him on the path to a Hall-of-Fame career, and no doubt fuels his more limited two-way effectiveness at 38 years old. But the Dubs already have enough issues with keeping Green's emotions in check. Ideally, a veteran leader of his repute would be galvanized by his original back-and-forth with Foster, helping the Warriors stem the tide of their ugly play on both sides of the ball heading into halftime.

Instead, Chris Paul made a bad situation worse, dooming Golden State to a seventh loss in eight games that only a spirited effort from all-bench units prevented from being a blowout. Maybe his cooler head will prevail next time Paul gets so exasperated—a development no doubt made easier by debating whistles with literally any official other than Foster.