The Golden State Warriors are on the point of elimination getting into Game 5, as they’re down 1-3 of their second-round sequence in opposition to the Los Angeles Lakers. After a 104-101 Game 4 loss, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr openly criticized Los Angeles for flopping, saying, that they had been a staff “that plays with a lot of gamesmanship” and that he believed “they took some flops and were rewarded.”
At first, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham didn’t actually reply to Kerr’s feedback, saying “I control what I can control, which is coaching my team” and that he doesn’t “go down the rabbit hole of blaming officials” (via The Athletic’s Jovan Buha). Well, that each one modified when Game 5 started.
During an interview with TNT’s Chris Haynes on the finish of the primary quarter, Ham was requested about his response to Dennis Schroder not receiving a name when falling to the bottom on a layup try. Ham stated “we don’t teach flopping.”
Darvin Ham takes shot at Steve Kerr over flopping feedback
“We teach our players to play downhill and attack the paint and be forceful,” stated Ham.
Haynes revealed in his pre-game hit that he texted a “prominent Laker player” about Kerr’s complaints and claims of flopping, and this was the message he obtained again:
“Let them [expletive] and complain, it shows weakness and frustration. We can’t get caught up in that game, we just have to play and keep fighting.”
Kerr and the Warriors devoted have complained concerning the free throw disparity between each groups via the primary 4 video games, which confirmed that the Lakers had 103 free throw makes an attempt, whereas the Warriors had 51.
At the tip of the primary half of Game 5, the Warriors led the Lakers by the rating of 70-59. In phrases of free throws, Lakers made 8-of-10 makes an attempt, whereas the Warriors made all seven of their makes an attempt.
Let’s simply say that Ham did hear Kerr’s flopping feedback, based mostly on his interview early on in Game 5.
