SAN FRANCISCO – Warriors coach Steve Kerr doubled down on his disapproval of fans around the league launching expletive-filled chants at opposing players.
During Game 2 of Golden State’s opening-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, the home fans in Texas chanted “f— you Draymond” at Warriors forward Draymond Green multiple times during a game the home team won 109-94.
“It feels like we’re stepping way over the line, and I know that our fans wouldn’t do that, but I would just would implore fans everywhere not to cross the line,” Kerr told reporters after practice on Friday. “You can yell at the players and say a lot of things, but I just find it disturbing when there’s 20,000 fans yelling ‘F you’ to a player.”
The mercurial Green was an integral part of the Warriors teams that defeated the Rockets in four playoff series between 2015 and 2019.
Wednesday, Green drew a flagrant foul on Rockets guard Jalen Green, was called for a technical and was at the middle of a midcourt scrum in the fourth quarter.
Rockets wing Dillon Brooks called Green a dirty player on Friday.
Green was unbothered by the chants, telling reporters on Wednesday that fans in Boston were the first to do it during the 2022 NBA Finals.
“It’s not original,” Green said. “Been there before, won a championship while it was happening. Can’t steal other people’s (stuff). That belongs to Boston.”
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, who said he is feeling much better after battling food poisoning during Game 2, was indifferent to the chants happening around the league.
“I’m all for it, and I don’t really care.” Podziemski said. “I just go out there and play, but it’s cool to see the fans engaged. I’m pretty sure Chase won’t do that tomorrow, but it’s cool to see the engagement with the fans.”
During Thursday’s Pistons-Knicks playoff game in Detroit, home fans were heard yelling “f— you Brunson” at Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson.
“You can tell the cities of Detroit and Houston have kind of embodied the way the teams are playing,” Podziemski said.
On the eve of Game 3, with the series tied 1-1, Kerr used younger fans as a reason the chants should not happen.
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“There’s kids all over the arena. Like, what are we teaching our kids,” Kerr asked. “I understand that it’s an emotional time when you come to a game and you want your team to win, but you know, the league asks the players to watch their decorum, and I think we should ask our fans to do the same.”
Kerr was infamously taunted by Arizona State fans over the death of his father as a player at Arizona in the 1980s, but said that experience had nothing to do with why he was opposed to the epithets from the crowd.
The Warriors coach saw the chants as something that would not have been permissible a decade ago.
“I think it’s more just a sign of where we are in society today compared to even 10, 15 years ago,” Kerr said. “It’s just more and more things are accepted.”
