Steve Kerr Reveals Why Warriors Couldn’t Avoid Gary Payton II’s Alleged Blunder That Left Fans Fuming

A wild finish in Inglewood! Well, the Warriors headed into Intuit Dome aiming to extend their three-game winning streak. But the Clippers were ready for the challenge and dominated them the entire first half. Surprisingly, Stephen Curry and Co. muscled a comeback and brought the game to within three points. Moreover, they found themselves with an opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds. However, a chaotic play led to Gary Payton II missing the final shot. And Steve Kerr revealed shocking details about the play after the heartbreaking loss.

After Stephen Curry missed the first potential game tying shot and the Warriors were scrambling to find the next best look, Kerr wanted the officials to stop the play. "With I think about 6-7 seconds left, it was completely scattered. I was trying to call a timeout, but it's impossible to get one at that point from the other end of the floor," he remarked . Yes, the timeout would have allowed the team to regroup and come up with a set play for the final shot.

But because of the chaos, the timeout was never called and Steph passed the ball to Payton after being triple-teamed. Unfortunately, GPII hit back iron and the Warriors lost the game. Moreover, Dub Nation was left fuming because many believed Steph's pass was for Lindy Waters III, who had already made two three-pointers earlier in the game. Even Steph was pointing toward Waters before and after Payton missed the shot.

Sure enough, it makes sense why the pass might have been for Waters because Payton had not scored even a single point prior to that play and that was his first three-point attempt of the night. So, Waters might have been in much better rhythm to make that shot as he has been shooting 40.7% from deep this season.

Steve Kerr claims he is "proud" of Gary Payton II despite the alleged mistake Well, amid Payton's blunder, many forgot that the Warriors might not even have gotten a chance to tie the game had it not been for GPII picking Norman Powell's pocket on the other end. Sure enough, Kerr gave the point guard credit for his effort, "It was a scramble you know. We put Gary in there defensively to get the stop and he got the steal which was great."

Moreover, the head coach was not bothered by Payton taking the final shot when his plan of taking a timeout failed. "As it was, we got a pretty good look. Gary put it right on the back rim. Proud of him for letting that thing go and rising up and really putting a good stroke on it," said the Warriors HC. Obviously, a good look is all the Warriors could have asked for. Sure, it is unfortunate that Payton missed the shot, but the play highlighted his confidence to take shots in pressure situations without hesitation. Maybe he will find the back of the net the next time he gets that opportunity.