Kerr reacts during a game. / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
Controversy emerged during the Houston Rockets’ 109-94 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the first round Western Conference playoff series on Wednesday night. Warriors star forward Jimmy Butler exited the game with a pelvic contusion after playing just eight minutes, and the circumstances that led to his injury sparked outrage among some fans.
With 2:28 left in the first quarter, Butler skied for a rebound off of a missed shot by Rockets forward Amen Thompson, who then burst forward to attempt an offensive rebound, undercutting the Warriors star’s body in the process. Butler crash-landed onto the court on his tailbone and immediately writhed in pain. Butler briefly remained in the game but then exited, and in the second quarter was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
Fans on social media immediately accused Thompson—and even Warriors forward Draymond Green—of making a dirty play in the sequence that led to Butler’s injury.
But that’s not how Warriors coach Steve Kerr saw it.
“I haven’t seen the replay,” Kerr told reporters after the game when asked what he thought of the play. “I asked our guys behind the bench—they just said it looked like there was some physicality on the rebound. And I think Thompson just inadvertently found himself underneath Jimmy just based on the tug of war that was going on there.”
“We didn’t think there was anything wrong with the play. Just one of those plays.”
Thompson certainly has a history of physical play in his career, though Kerr clearly didn’t believe there was any intent on the part of the Rockets forward to injure Butler. On the contrary, Kerr believes the Rockets’ physicality was both within the boundaries of the game’s etiquette and to the team’s credit.
“Yeah Houston played great. They were really physical,” Kerr said. “Just like we expected. They came out with amazing force defensively. Obviously, [Jalen] Green got going and that loosened up our defense quite a bit. It was their night. They played a great game on both ends of the floor. So we just gotta lick our wounds and back to work tomorrow.”
Butler is undergoing an MRI on Thursday and his status for Saturday’s Game 3 is currently up in the air.
“I mean, if Jimmy’s out, we have to rethink everything,” Kerr told reporters. “Like rotations, who starts and the best combinations and all that stuff.”
