“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life and that was ridiculous” said Steve Kerr as his criticism ran havoc against the referees after the Warriors’ NBA Cup loss back in December. In a season filled with head coaches and players taking a dig at the officiating, the Warriors squad has not allowed itself to be left out. The situation got to a point where even Stephen Curry argued against certain foul calls that did not go his way. This action did not go unnoticed by fans. When called out over it, Steph’s wife was there to humorously shut down any criticism.

Ayesha Curry appeared as a guest on a recent segment of Sherri Shepperd’s show. As the conversation turned towards discussing Ayesha and Steph’s 3 child, Canon, the host asked whether the young man got punished for denying doing a bad thing he did. This caused Ayesha to reveal that she was like Canon at a young age, recalling when she denied writing on the carpet at school. However, it was evident that it was Ayesha since she had written her name on the carpet! When stating that Canon would soon overgrow that habit because she did, Sherri wasn’t so sure. “Well I don’t know, if you’re going to grow out of it, cuz I saw Steph on the court, and they say ‘You foul’, he goes ‘I didn’t do it’. So….” said Sherri. This caused Ayesha to instantly counter with a “He did not, Sherri” remark.

The interview’s timing couldn’t have been better, as it came only a day or two after the Warriors’ matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Along with Stephen Curry and co-taking home the win by a 1-point margin, another highlight came when 6:09 minutes remained in the 3 quarter. Steph drove to the basket, got close to the paint, and shot but was fouled by J McDaniels. The referees did not call out a shooting foul initially. After protests from Steph, he was awarded free throws.

The broadcaster was not happy with the initial call, and slated the officiating. They said, “They’re so inconsistent with this…. Steph was at least in the upward motion at least 2 free throws they gave Edwards. Steph is in the upward motion at least. Tony Brothers just said that ‘We just gave it to the Timberwolves not too long ago in continuation’”. The broadcaster also added “That’s all these players want is consistency.,.. Sometimes in game they haven’t been consistent.”

The officiating in the most recent Warriors-Timberwolves matchup was just one incident. Similarly to Steve Kerr, Curry was unhappy with the referees during the NBA Cup Quarter-Finals matchup against the Houston Rockets. As the 1 quarter approached its final minute, the Warriors talisman made a successful 3-pointer shot. Later, he called out the referee for not ruling a foul call in his favor, since Curry had been vigorously guarded during that 3-point attempt. According to reports, the referee was later seen acknowledging his mistake and even made an apologetic gesture towards the Chef. The player may have appreciated the apology. Unfortunately, losing to the Rockets by a 91-90 score would not have improved Curry’s mood.

Even after the NBA Cup game, the squad’s non-satisfaction with the officiating continued. Even Curry, who usually reverberates calmess under tough situations, spoke bluntly about his frustration.

Stephen Curry admits to losing his cool against referees occasionally: “Thrown a mouthpiece or two”

More than a week ago, ESPN Journalist Tim Keown released a report. It was titled ‘Steph Curry and the NBA’s most confounding paradox’. The same touched base on the Warriors’ ongoing abysmal run. Including the legacy that Stephen Curry created during his 15-16 years on the NBA court. It also revealed that even though Curry holds a certain reverence unlike Michael Jordan and LeBron James, the Three-Point Leader can also lose his cool occasionally. Especially when it comes to referees.

“It exhausts me,” said Curry about certain referee calls. “One thousand percent more than any defense. You get distracted and waste energy yelling at the refs.” Shedding some more light on his frustration, Curry revealed “I’ve thrown a mouthpiece or two … or three … or four.” Woah!

It is certainly exhausting to face your opponents on one front and argue with the referees on the other. It is a problem that some have even credited to the NBA’s declining ratings.  One can only hope that Stephen Curry and the Warriors squad find better ways to deal with the situation.