It’s become a frustrating tradition for the Warriors—Stephen Curry takes contact, hits the floor, and looks up expecting a whistle that never comes. Last month against the Lakers, as Curry drove past Austin Reaves for a crucial layup, contact sent him to the floor. Lying on the hardwood, a welt already forming on his forehead, Curry looked toward the officials, expecting a whistle—only to see play continue. After the game, he addressed the moment with a hint of exasperation: “No foul though. Send a picture of my face to the league.” The incident reignited discussions about how officials call the game for different players and whether Curry’s style of play affects how fouls against him are judged.

Unsurprisingly, during a media day ahead of the All-Star game, Steph Curry’s focus was on officiating when asked about what rule he would change if he were commissioner for a day. Curry suggested that the league should offer more public information about how referees are evaluated and graded. While he mentioned he didn’t want to make “their job any harder,” it did hint at some underlying frustrations from the Warriors star. These frustrations have been accentuated by the fact that the Golden State Warriors find themselves at the receiving end of inconsistent decisions.

Playing against the Knicks, the Warriors were unhappy with one of the calls for a foul in the second quarter. Knicks’ Jalen Brunson went for a shot and after the ball left him, Buddy Hield made contact with him. This was immediately called a foul. However, Curry and Steve Kerr were quick to address this with referee CJ Washington, arguing how the Warriors player doesn’t get similar calls in his favor. NBC commentators also seemed in agreement and pointed out how often Steph Curry appears to get hit after releasing a shot, only for the call to be overturned.

“This has happened to Steph Curry at least 10 times this season,” one commentator said. “Sometimes they challenge it and you look at it again and they overturn it. And Steph is at the line going, ‘Wait a minute, what? I’m not shooting free throws?'”

The discussion continued, with the crew emphasizing the lack of consistency in officiating. “See, I don’t mind if that is a foul. The guy releases it, and you whack him on the arm. I don’t mind that, except you just said it: Steph Curry gets hit after he releases the three all the time.” This led to his fellow commentator chiming in, “Consistency. That’s all these players want. Look at Steph and Steve they’re talking to CJ Washington, saying this happens to him all the time, he releases it and then gets hit.”

Curry and the Warriors have suffered from such decisions going against them more often than once. In January, playing against the Timberwolves, Curry had to protest with the refs over awarding free throws. In the third quarter, he drove to the basket and took the shot but Jaden McDaniels fouled him. However, the refs did not call out a shooting foul at first. This again led to calls for consistent officiating since Anthony Edwards was awarded 2 free throws in continuation in the same contest. Earlier, there was the incident against the Houston Rockets in December during the NBA Cup.

In the first quarter of the game, Curry managed to hit a stunning triple right. On release, he immediately raised his hands for the foul with head official Bill Kennedy close to the action. But Kennedy missed the foul and even though he took accountability by telling Curry that it was “My fault,” it didn’t help concerns about inconsistent officiating.

The NBC commentators continued with their sharp assessment. “In Utah, it was called a foul, and then they replayed it and said the ball had been released. It was marginal contact, and they overturned it. Yeah, so what are we doing here?” they pointed out. The concern over how Curry is officiated is not anything new.

In 2018, when the Warriors lost to the Jazz, Curry was on the receiving end of some rough play. In one instance Curry used two screens to his advantage and squeezed past the defense into the lane. Creating room for Andre Iguodala, Curry lay in wait for an easy pass. But before he could go ahead, Alec Burks grabbed across the front of Curry’s chest, halting the play. Curry was unable to shake off Burks, who had his both arms around the Warriors player. However, there was no whistle, even with the baseline referee being a close watcher.

Last year as well, Curry was left frustrated with not getting the whistle and bemoaned the lack of consistency from the referees during a double OT loss to the Lakers. This trend of Curry not getting is nothing new for the Warriors, but why is he not getting the whistle as often as he should? Has it got to do something with Curry’s game?

Curry’s edge comes from his off-ball movement, effortless agility, and an almost supernatural touch on his shots and layups. Few players operate the way he does, and if refs started calling every off-ball hold on him, they might have to whistle the same for everyone else. Yet, more often than not we see other players getting the calls that Curry doesn’t.

The conversation between the NBC commentators deepened players’ and fans’ growing annoyance over how officials treat the 2x MVP. Officials scrutinize every call, and fans demand that consistency drives the debate. The officiating debate surrounding Stephen Curry is one thing, but when he’s on the court, he still controls the game.

Even without a signature takeover, the 36-year-old led the Warriors to a gritty 114-102 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Stephen Curry and the Warriors beat the Knicks, solidifying their position as a playoff team

Golden State clamped down late, holding New York scoreless for four straight minutes and ripping off an 11-0 run. Curry drilled a tough corner three, dropped a dime to Kevon Looney, and later found himself wide open for his fifth triple to seal the deal. He finished with 28 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, outplaying Jalen Brunson (25 points, seven assists) and posting a game-high +23.

Curry also also went 10-21 shooting from the field and 5-9 from beyond the arc. He tweaked his ankle Monday against Charlotte but wasn’t about to miss his only trip to MSG. Early on, he hit a three before stepping on a courtside fan’s foot, rolling the same ankle again. He played through it, flashing a quick thumbs-up to the bench.

Jimmy Butler struggled early but came alive in the second half, scoring off back-cuts and transition plays. Buddy Hield missed seven of his first eight threes but caught fire late, knocking down two big ones.

Curry checked in with 6:33 left, up by one, and the Knicks immediately missed seven straight shots. Golden State took full control, silencing the crowd and securing their ninth win in 10 games with Butler. The Warriors aren’t just winning—they’re figuring things out at the perfect time!