Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was unhappy with Jordan Poole at the tail end of the third quarter in Friday’s win over the Cavaliers.
Poole earned a delay of game technical foul when he refused to give the ball to the referee while arguing a defensive foul call. The tech gave the Cavaliers a free throw, allowing them to cut the lead from 13 to 12. Cameras showed Kerr speaking to Poole from the sideline in a very animated fashion.
Kerr discussed the incident postgame.
“I’m going to stay on Jordan,” Kerr said. “He’s continuing to grow and he’s getting better. I think the last two games, he was fantastic in terms of staying off the referees. He got the offensive foul and then held the ball as he talked to the ref, and that was a delay of game. So I’m trying to get Jordan to the point where he understands every play counts and every moment counts. So, every once in a while, I snap and I snapped in that moment and he looked at me like I was nuts. But it’s all part of it. I love Jordan and I love the way he’s playing and he was incredible tonight.”
While some media outlets framed the interaction as a rift between the two parties, Stephen Curry defended his head coach in the comments of a House of Highlights post.
“Hey for all the kids watching this clip…Coach Kerr coaching like he should,” Curry wrote. “JP taking the energy the right way. Both of them move on to try and win the game!!! @houseofhighlights Make sure you show how @jordan_poole bounced back after this.”
Overall, Poole was excellent in the game, leading the Warriors with 32 points in 41 minutes.