As has been typical over the past few seasons, the Golden State Warriors continue to pace an improved Western Conference with a 42-13 record. However, along with some recent uncharacteristic minor struggles, the Warriors have also seen a noticeable uptick in technical fouls.
In fact, GM Bob Myers saw the spike problematic enough to address the issue during a recent shootaround. Following from ESPN’s Chris Haynes:
Perhaps the boldest move came on Thursday, when Warriors general manager Bob Myers addressed the team at shootaround prior to film study. It’s something he does every dozen games or so, but the topic is usually about travel itineraries and team events. Rarely is it a serious issue or with a serious tone.
But his objective on this day was to share his concern about the team’s growing number of technical fouls. This season, collectively, the defending champions have demonstrated a lack of self-restraint…
Myers explained that there has been too much bickering with the referees and suggested it could be affecting their on-court production. His speech didn’t last long, but players got the point: It was time to zip it and play ball.
After finishing in the middle of the pack in total technical fouls a year ago, it’s been a different story this season as they currently have one less than the Thunder for tops in the league.
Though Draymond Green and Kevin Durant are known for their fiery style of play, head coach Steve Kerr acknowledges that he also needs to improve at keeping his emotions in check.
Kerr, for his part, has taken responsibility, saying he has to be more in control, as well.
“Draymond and I are actually more alike than you think,” Kerr said. “We both have the propensity to snap because we’re both incredibly competitive. We both lose it sometimes. That’s just the way it is.”
Green and Durant are currently second and fifth respectively in the league in technical fouls. Green has already tallied 15 while Durant doesn’t lag far behind with 11. With the All-Star break now a week away, the duo will have to keep their emotions better in check as racking up more technical fouls could affect their availability come playoff time.
