It was reasonable to believe that at some point during this beleaguered 2025-26 NBA season that Warriors coach Steve Kerr\u2019s volcanic side would erupt, and there it was Sunday at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n
Kerr\u2019s loud irritation in the second quarter of a 110-107 loss<\/a> to the New York Knicks spilled all over rookie guard Will Richard, who didn\u2019t deserve that nationally televised moment of humiliation. And the coach, after moments of self-reflection, knew it.<\/p>\n \u201cI kind of regret losing my composure a little bit there,\u201d Kerr told reporters at Madison Square Garden. \u201cIt’s my job to keep the guys going, especially when we’re without so many players.\u201d<\/p>\n The Warriors kept going, including Richard, who probably wondered what he had done to earn the brunt of Kerr\u2019s anger.<\/p>\n After flicking a pass from Knicks guard Landry Shamet to teammate Brandin Podziemski, Richard sprinted in transition, anticipating an easy layup. With Podziemski\u2019s pass heading out of bounds, Richard tried to toss the ball behind his back to his trailing teammate. The ball kicked off Podziemski\u2019s foot out of bounds for a turnover, and an irate Kerr hopped off the bench.<\/p>\n As the Knicks inbounded \u2013 OG Anunoby drilled a 3-pointer 11 seconds later \u2013 Kerr was pointing toward Richard while screaming at volume he rarely has exhibited to the public in his 13 seasons on the Golden State sideline.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ball matters!\u201d Kerr shouted within range of TV mics. \u201cThe ball is everything!\u201d<\/p>\n Richard was trying to save a pass headed out of bounds. He couldn\u2019t. That was the eighth of the Warriors\u2019 nine turnovers in the pivotal second quarter.<\/p>\n While putting up a valiant fight against a vastly superior roster, the Warriors committed 18 giveaways. They threw some passes out of bounds, threw a few to the Knicks and even dribbled them away. Quinten Post had five turnovers, as did Gui Santos. Podziemski committed four. Richard committed two, and the second one was relatively innocuous \u2013 until Kerr\u2019s fiery reaction.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought (Richard) could have caught the ball,\u201d Kerr said when asked about the incident, which was noted by the NBC telecast crew. \u201cIt was a bad pass from BP; BP should have made a good pass, and Will’s got a dunk. (Instead) it turns into a five-point swing. I was mad at Will because I thought he could have corralled the ball and not thrown it. I thought he was trying to make an around- the-back pass for a score. I might be wrong, but I from my angle looked like he could have corralled the ball and made a stop.\u201d<\/p>\n Kerr was wrong. Richard\u2019s save attempt reeked of desperation rather than spectacle. A jump spot in mid-sprint to try saving the ball would have been an exceedingly difficult maneuver.<\/p>\n But Kerr\u2019s regret, again to his credit, didn\u2019t stop there. The coach acknowledged his annoyance ran deeper than Richard\u2019s failed save.<\/p>\n \u201cI was really upset with the whole team for the second quarter,\u201d Kerr said, referring to the nine turnovers that gave New York 12 of its 24 points in the quarter. \u201cThat’s where the game got away from us. Too many turnovers. Too many careless plays. Will had just gotten an offensive foul, pushing off, so I was upset with him …<\/p>\n \u201cBut you’ve got to you know that a big part of winning a game like this is making good decisions and understanding how valuable the ball is,\u201d Kerr continued. \u201cYeah, it started with Brandin’s pass to him; he tried to lead him instead of just hitting him. That put Will in a tough spot. So, I probably shouldn’t have gotten as mad as I was.\u201d<\/p>\n Certainly not at Richard, who took a blow better directed toward Podziemski, who draped his arm around Richard\u2019s shoulders as they walked to the bench.\u00a0<\/p>\n @nbcsportsauthentic<\/a> He was not happy \ud83d\ude2c #warriors<\/a> #goldenstate<\/a> #nba<\/a> #basketball<\/a> #fypage<\/a> \u266c original sound – NBC Sports Bay Area & CA<\/a> <\/p>\n It\u2019s entirely conceivable, even rational, that discontent has been building within Kerr for weeks, if not months. There was the very public quarrel with Draymond Green<\/a> in December, for which Kerr later blamed himself. Then, in January, the highest hopes for this season dipped considerably when Jimmy Butler III sustained a season-ending torn ACL on Jan. 19. It dipped further 11 days later, when Stephen Curry limped into the locker room with a knee injury<\/a> that has sidelined him for the last 17 games.<\/p>\n Two more Warriors, Seth Curry and Al Horford, will miss at least a week after sustaining injuries Friday night in a loss to the Timberwolves.<\/p>\n So, the Warriors hobbled into New York missing their ideal starters (Curry, Butler, Green, De\u2019Anthony Melton, Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is), three rotation players (Horford, Seth Curry, Moses Moody) \u2013 and lugging a four-game losing streak.<\/p>\n It was a lot to cope with. Enough to push Kerr toward the outer edge of his composure limit.<\/p>\n Kerr momentarily snapped. It was a bad look made worse by misdirecting his rage at Richard. Rookies tend to get more than their share of abuse, but this deserves an apology.<\/p>\n Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t