NBA Finals 2016: Steve Kerr calls out the referees following a poorly officiated Game 6

Steve Kerr is normally a man of great patience and empathy. We’ve seen him hold his tongue on many an occasion. But, sometimes, his insides stew like a volcano on the precipice of explosion. At such moments, those around him quiver like villagers on the mountainside. Sometimes he’ll break a clipboard, sometimes he’ll lay into one of the players.

Last night, following a dispiriting Game 6 in which the Warriors were thoroughly outplayed by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Steve Kerr approached the podium, gave props to the Cavs for their dominant win, but then lit into the referees, who had called a mind-fumblingly confusing game.

It’s a solid point. If you are going to let Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and every other perimeter defender grab a hold of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry as they come around screens, you can’t be calling chip shots on the MVP.

And it’s not just Warriors fans blinded by homerism that thought the officials missed some really, really important calls (like the one that fouled Curry out, leading to his ejection).

But, beyond the officiating, Kerr was trying to send a message to his players and to the league. The tone has been set, the gauntlet has been thrown down.

It’s on to Game 7, come hell or high water.

Note: We’ll have a bunch more about this game throughout the day, including a forthcoming piece about how Ivan and I went and partied at Finnerty’s, in NYC, and live tweeted with a whole bunch of (eventually disheartened) Warriors fans.

Watch a clip of his interview here:

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