Oakland

Kerr ‘Not Concerned' With Curry's Mouthpiece Throw, Ejection in Game 6

The mouthpiece hurled round the world.

Bound to be a huge topic of discussion over the next few days, two-time MVP Stephen Curry made a rash decision late in Game 6 when he chose to throw his mouthpiece into the Cleveland stands in after picking up his sixth and final foul.

Curry was ejected following the outburst which is bound to lead to a long discussion within the league as to whether he should be suspended for Game 7 Sunday in Oakland.

Rest assured Warriors fans, Steve Kerr isn’t concerned over the incident, likely because the NBA has ruled on situations similar to this over the last few years. The prognosis is very good for Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

“I’m not concerned about that,” Kerr said when asked about the incident following the game.

During an early season game this season, Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers picked up a seat cushion from the bench in anger and hurled it into the stands at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. The cushion smashed a fan across the face, knocking her contact lens out of her eye and causing a corneal abrasion.

Rivers was eventually fined $25,000 by the league, but not suspended. Despite clear evidence to the contrary, Rivers refused to take responsibility for his actions, which is the opposite of what we saw from Curry. Once he cooled down, he walked directly to the fan who was hit with his mouth piece and apologized.

In a second situation on Dec 8, 2014, again, at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, Utah Jazz big man Enes Kanter tossed his mouthpiece into the stands, which was snared in air by a Kings fan. Kanter was assessed a technical foul and later fined $25,000 by the NBA.

There is a third incident of a player tossing his mouthpiece from April of 2006 which cost Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem a playoff game. But he intentionally hurled his mouthpiece in the direction of official Joey Crawford and was instantly ejected.

There is clear precedence set by the NBA in regards to players throwing items into the stands. While Curry’s decision was ill-advised, it should in no way affect his availability to play in Game 7.

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