Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors left the Toyota Center feeling that a game was being taken away from them. Their intense NBA Cup quarterfinal against the Rockets ended on free throws… all because of a “ridiculous” loose foul ball call. It didn’t live up to the degree of competition displayed throughout the night, and right after the final whistle, Draymond Green went into the face of the officials. With a major prize to play for, it felt unjust. Green was furious, and so was his head coach.

“I’m pi–ed off. I wanted to go to Las Vegas. We wanted to win this Cup,” Steve Kerr said in the post-game press conference. Then, on the verge of tears, he added, “We aren’t going because of a loose ball call 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, and that was ridiculous.” In the days since the loss, it hasn’t been easy for Green to recover from the ending.

Addressing the foul call on The Draymond Green Show, the power forward said, “Obviously, I disagree with the call. I’m a little upset for the game to end on two free throws like that with a play like that; nobody’s in scoring position.” With just over a minute to play, the Warriors were up 90-84, but that was when the Rockets started their comeback. However, with 15 seconds to go, it looked like Stephen Curry would seal the deal with a 3-pointer. But that didn’t happen. What did happen? That play ended with Houston getting two free throws.

After Curry missed the bucket, Gary Payton II secured the rebound, but chaos ensued. In the loose ball situation, Fred VanVleet dived into Payton II right before Jonathan Kuminga was penalized for his physicality on Jalen Green. At the time, the Warriors were leading 90-89, but Green scored both free throws. With just around 4 seconds left after that, there wasn’t much the Warriors could do. Reflecting on the situation leading up to the final whistle, Draymond Green admitted, ” With all the things leading up to it, it’s upsetting.” But it was more than just upsetting for the veteran forward.

“I don’t get too high or two low whether we win or lose the game, especially in December. But this game in particular, and I don’t know why – I think it’s the opportunity to play for something, just having the opportunity to compete for something, is always special for me. I have not been as hurt as I was – or am – losing that game since 2016 Game 7.” It was the NBA Finals, and the Warriors were leading the series 3-1 against the Cavaliers. They could’ve sealed the championship in Game 5 in California, but that didn’t happen.

“If you think about it, in 2016 Game 7, I got suspended,” Green told Baron Davis. “It was Game 5 that completely changed the series. That was 2016, and I was crushed because I knew that we were supposed to win the series. At the end of it (the Cavaliers won 4-3), it just felt like something got taken away. Like, ‘Damn! They took away what was ours.’ … The only time I felt [like this] was in 2016… Then, you fast forward to two nights ago, and it was like, ‘Wow, we’re competing for something.’ And then, it just got taken away. For me, it was a gut punch.”

The Warriors obviously made errors, scoring just a single point in the final 80 seconds. But it was those sloppy errors that prevented Green from getting a good sleep. “I am going back. I am looking at every play like, ‘Man, if I get the stop here, if I don’t go for the pump fake there and give them two free throws, we get a stop there. Now we possibly go up 9 or 10,'” Green vented. “If one play was different, if we got one more stop or one more bucket, that game was over. The whole night, I’m like, ‘How did this game get away from us?'”

The veteran forward also revealed two of the officials called the jump ball. However, the third referee signaled a foul. “I was just taken back by the foul. You got a guy on his 80 feet from the rim. We call the foul to give two free throws with that amount of time left. And I thought that was crazy,” Green admitted on his podcast.

Still, Draymond Green gave credit to the Houston Rockets for delivering the gut punch. Furthermore, rather than sticking to the call, he wants the Warriors to fix their issues. Having several mistakes down the stretch, Green is fixated on finding repair to avoid being in such close situations. With that being said, the loss continues to sting him deeply.

The trauma of losing is hitting Draymond Green

When speaking with Baron Davis, Green admitted that losses in December generally don’t affect him as much. But with it being an NBA Cup matchup, a potential life-turning reward is what some of the members of the organization lost. Even getting to the semifinals would mean $50,000 more, regardless of the outcome.

What hurt, though, was the opportunity of winning $514,971 being gone due to a polarizing late-game call. It’s hit Draymond Green to such a degree that he is unsure whether he could even watch the Rockets-Thunder semifinal game. “I don’t know if I can watch, bro. Like, I’m a little salty. I really don’t know if I’m in the right mental space to watch that. You watch somebody take a trophy away. You watch somebody take $500,000 away,” he said on The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.

On the other hand, despite being his co-host, Davis didn’t shy away from his pick. “I am rooting for Houston,” he told the Warriors stalwart. It’s a game that does promise similar intensity. The Thunder and the Rockets are both ranked first and second in defensive rating, respectively. Additionally, they have both displayed immense zeal during Cup games, building off their defensive tenacity.

On the East side, the Bucks and the Hawks are also scheduled to have an amazing battle. The energy of the NBA Cup is surely tantalizing. But it’s understandable why Draymond Green and the Warriors contingent may have a tough time turning their television on to watch some great basketball.