We are just one game into the much-anticipated second-round Western Conference playoff matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets, and already, all of the talk is about the officiating.
Following a Game 1 Warriors win that featured a controversial ending where Rockets star James Harden appeared to get fouled on a three-point attempt by Dubs big man Draymond Green, Harden criticized the referees after the contest, saying he simply wanted a “fair chance.”
There were also several other instances throughout the game where Harden was run into by Warriors defenders on three-point shots, but no fouls were called on those plays.
Still, the Rockets did not lose the game because of the officiating, so you can imagine that Golden State would be pretty frustrated that some are accusing the referees of costing Houston a victory.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says he is disappointed about the narratives already:
“It's disappointing because the focus should be on two teams who played extremely hard,” said Kerr, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. “Both teams just got after it and competed. But we just watched the tape upstairs. You don't think there were 10 calls that we thought we got fouled?”
Kerr has a point.
While everyone seems to be focusing on the few times that Harden appeared to get fouled without a call, there were almost certainly countless other calls that could have been made going the other way throughout the game.
Generally, things have a way of evening out.
The Rockets will get a chance to tie the series up on Tuesday night.