Home court advantage. Healthy roster. 3-2 lead. The odds were stacked in the Warriors’ favor to beat the Rockets tonight and close out this series for good. But Steve Kerr’s squad failed to finish the job yet again. The head coach tried everything to gain an edge. He even came out with a new strategy, putting Gary Payton II in the starting lineup as Brandin Podziemski’s replacement. However, the decision backfired.

Well, the lineup Kerr put on the floor tonight had not played together at all this year. Neither in the regular season nor in the playoffs. Soon after tip-off, it became evident that the experiment was a failure. Despite Payton’s athletic prowess, the Warriors’ lack of size turned into a major issue—a problem that would haunt them throughout the game. GPII contributed just 5 points on 2 of 5 shooting.

Hoping to make some adjustments, Kerr put Podziemski back into the rotation. Sure, the youngster did a decent job, scoring 10 points and seven rebounds. But it was too late for the Warriors to pull away with a lead. Then came the dreaded fourth quarter. While the game was close for the most part, with the Warriors trailing by just two points at the end of the third quarter, the momentum shifted drastically in the Rockets’ favor in the final period.

Fighting to save their season, Ime Udoka’s squad picked up pace in the fourth quarter and took a massive 17-point lead. The Warriors could never recover, as Kerr got completely out-coached by Udoka. As a result, the Bay Area team got blown out, putting their title dream in serious jeopardy. Sure enough, Dub Nation was furious and immediately blamed the loss on Kerr.

Dub Nation calls Steve Kerr “dumb” after his Hack-A-Adams strategy fails in Game 6

Understanding that the Warriors lack size, Udoka decided to try the big man lineup to gain an edge. He put Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams on the floor together for the majority of the second half, aiming to dominate the paint. Well, Kerr had seen this strategy before and even found an effective solution in previous encounters. The trick was simple – Hack-A-Adams. Yes, intentionally foul Steven Adams and put him on the line, until Udoka is forced to sub him out because of his poor free-throw shooting percentage. Kerr’s strategy worked brilliantly in Game 4. Unfortunately, it didn’t tonight.

Despite his poor record, Adams shot 9 of 16 from the charity stripes. Good enough to maintain the Rockets’ lead. And Kerr was stunned! As the Warriors are headed to a blowout loss, Dub Nation unleashed its wrath on the head coach. Comments like “Man WTF is Steve Kerr doing. He dumb af. Sick of the way he coaches” and “Steve Kerr no shame. Get this garbage off my screen” began flooding in.

Many even urged the Warriors to terminate the $17.5 million per year contract Kerr inked last year. One wrote, “When this season ends, Joe Lacob needs to FIRE STEVE KERR. It’s time for a CHANGE. The Warriors are done unless they move away from this TINY horses— stuff the charlatan is obsessed with.” Not just a hot take — this came after countless games where Kerr’s small-ball obsession got the team bulldozed in the paint. Remember the blowout against the Pelicans January 2024?

Following the 36-point blowout loss to New Orleans, Kerr’s comments about the team’s lack of “spirit, confidence, and belief” were met with backlash. Fans argued that instilling these qualities is the coach’s responsibility.

Another said, “Steve Kerr is a clown without Mike Brown by his side. Since Brown left in 22-23, Kerr has been a complete and utter charlatan.” There’s a reason people are bringing up Mike Brown — because ever since he left, the Warriors’ defense looks clueless and the rotations are a mess. Kerr’s decision-making has been all over the place. In fact, when Brown got fired by the Kings last December, fans were straight-up asking why Kerr still had a job.

Of course, the biggest topic of concern was Kerr’s inability to make adjustments when the Rockets gained momentum and pulled away with the lead. Apart from Hack-A-Adams, it looked like he had no set plan. Many even wondered why he didn’t put in Jonathan Kuminga and Kevon Looney to take care of the size problem, “Steve Kerr killing the Warriors play Kuminga and Looney nobody on Warriors can rebound Warriors just blew a golden opportunity Steve Kerr smh.” There were even accusations of him standing on the sidelines like a statue.

Well, it has been over a decade since Kerr took over as the Warriors’ head coach. And the franchise has seen its best years playing under his leadership. However, if he blows another 3-1 lead like he did in the 2016 NBA Finals, Joe Lacob and Co. will likely have to reconsider his future in the franchise. Do you think Kerr should be fired after tonight’s disappointing performance?