When things are going well, everyone is with you. But when things take a turn for the worse, everyone is against you. That is precisely what is happening with Steve Kerr. His unconventional 12-man rotation was garnering attention and getting praise when the Golden State Warriors were winning. But now that they have lost five consecutive games, the Warriors Head Coach is under heavy scrutiny. Some even want him gone, especially after he made some tweaks in Stephen Curry’s rotation.

via Imago

It caught everyone off guard when Kerr made an unexpected substitution during the first quarter during the Tuesday night loss against the Denver Nuggets. At the 7:24 mark, with no visible injuries or foul trouble affecting anyone, he made a surprising call. Even more shocking? Steph Curry was the one heading to the bench. Speaking after the game, Curry admitted that the team needed some change, especially coming off four straight losses.

“I think the offense that we created, the energy we play with, I adjusted really well to it. So who knows how long it’ll last but we’re trying to get out of this hole anyway we can. We got to play a little desperate, try desperate things at this point,” Chef added. He got 34 minutes of playtime against Denver, whereas previously he was restricted under the 32-minute mark. So what prompted this change?

“You know, it was actually his suggestion. The other day he came to me and said, “If you need me to do that, I’m happy to do it,’ and we liked it. And we went to, we did it a few years ago, but we haven’t done it often. But this is a type of team where we feel like, we probably need to do it in shorter bursts for him but also shorter stints without him for the rest of the guys,” the 59-year-old coach added.

Curry‘s minutes this season have followed a predictable rhythm. He typically logs the first eight minutes of the opening and third quarters, then checks back in about seven minutes into the second and fourth. But against Denver, Curry started the fourth quarter. “By doing it this way, he closes and starts every quarter. So we liked that idea. Traditionally, he hasn’t loved three stints a half. He likes two stints. But he recognizes that right now we need to do that. I thought it was effective.”

Overall, he feels the team needs to make better decisions irrespective of whether Stephen Curry is on the floor or not. This rotational change and this loss have Dub Nation wanting Kerr gone. The head coach was also frustrated during the presser over the timeout call from Christian Braun. But since then, the NBA has cleared why it wasn’t given.

The NBA responds to Steve Kerr’s frustration over the timeout call as Stephen Curry’s Warriors lose another one

The Warriors found themselves on the wrong side of yet another tough loss, and this one came with a side of controversy. Despite having opportunities to pull out the win, the final moments unraveled in a way that left Steve Kerr visibly frustrated.

via Imago

With no timeouts left, Nuggets guard Christian Braun appeared to attempt calling one—a move that should’ve resulted in a technical foul. The officials, however, saw things differently.

“[Christian] Braun called a timeout,” Kerr said after the game. “Everybody saw it—except the guys we hire to officiate. That’s a technical foul. We shoot a free throw and get the ball. We’ve got a chance to win the game. They all told me they didn’t see it.”

Later, the NBA addressed the situation in a Pool Report. Crew Chief Tyler Ford explained, “Christian Braun never fully or clearly signaled for a timeout, therefore a timeout was not recognized.” When asked if the officials could have reviewed it, Ford added, “The crew can discuss if anyone saw a signal, but no one did.”

For Golden State, it was a gut-punch finish to a fifth consecutive loss—a frustrating outcome that stung even more given the circumstances.