Sad: Steve Kerr is frustrated over the Rockets’ treatment of Steph Curry and blasts the rules: “It’s just idiotic that we allow this”

The Golden State Warriors are currently leading their playoff series against the Houston Rockets 3-2, but lost their latest, and there is concern about star player Steph Curry’s health going forward. He’s had an injured thumb since January, but it may have gotten worse with the Rockets swatting at it on Thursday. In fact, Warriors coach Steve Kerr is pretty upset with the NBA for allowing that to happen at all.

The Rockets appear to be targeting Steph's thumb early on 🤔 pic.twitter.com/wT2bvvCOCw

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 1, 2025

“The dumbest thing I’ve ever heard”

In the middle of the first quarter, Curry had just gone for three when Rockets’ Aperen Sengun and Dillon Brooks lunged towards him. Brooks’ right arm hit Curry’s right hand and injured thumb just as he came down from the shot. Despite Curry’s dramatic reaction to the hit, no foul was called, because it wasn’t an illegal hit.

An NBA rule states that because the contact was made after Curry released the shot, there was no foul. Reporters asked both Curry and Kerr after the game, which the Warriors lost 131-116, if they thought the Rockets were purposely targeting Curry’s injury (pointing out that it happened in both Games 4 and 5).

Curry finished the game with just 13 points and seven assists in 23 minutes of playing time. In Game 4, he was held to 17 points after scoring 36 in Game 3.

“You don’t think about it,” said Curry in response to the Rockets’ targeting the injured thumb. “And if it’s a foul, they should call it.”

Steph Curry has his right thumb wrapped in-game and is icing it every postgame. Photo surfaced of it swollen while walking to team plane. What is the state of it?

“I don’t even know how to answer it. Something you are dealing with and keep it moving.”

Full soundbite https://t.co/ZNbfhuoZ0w pic.twitter.com/5j53ufKDWY

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 1, 2025

Warriors forward Draymond Green said he definitely noticed it.

“I think it’s pretty obvious, but it is what it is,” Green said. “I’m not one to come to cry to you about what the league should do.”

Regardless of whether or not the Rockets players were intentionally hitting Curry’s injured thumb, Kerr thinks the NBA needs to change the rule that allows the contact. He also said he’s not the only coach who thinks that, saying that there are “30 other coaches who all think it’s just idiotic that we allow this”.

“What’s happened in the league this year is, players always are, they’re going to outsmart the rules. They know what they’re doing,” said Kerr. “So on every release Steph’s getting hit, but it’s basically within the rules.”

“Players all over the league are just taking shots at guys’ shooting hands after the release because they know it’s not going to be a foul,” he said. “And I’m very confident that next year the league will fix it because it’s only a matter of time before somebody breaks a thumb or breaks a hand or whatever. But these are the rules.”

“I do believe they’re allowed to call a flagrant if they want. The refs can call flagrant if a guy winds up and takes a shot,” Kerr went on. “But no, it’s been happening across the league all year long. It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, but we have to take it through the league process to get that changed.”

Rockets’ Dillon Brooks, one of the players who made contact with the thumb, said it’s just part of playing the game.

“If [someone] had an injured ankle, I would attack that ankle every single time,” Brooks said. “So, whatever they’re saying on the broadcast, they can keep saying it.”

The Warriors will face the Rockets again for Game 6 this Friday at 9 p.m. ET at Chase Center in San Francisco. If the Warriors win, they’ll go on to play the Minnesota Timberwolves in Round 2. If they lose, it will force a Game 7, which would be played on Sunday, May 4.