Steve Kerr could only stand there in disbelief, mouth open and arms outstretched.

In all his years of playing basketball, whether as NBA champions with the Bulls and Spurs or as coach of the Warriors’ dynasty, he has never experienced a decision like the one he made on Wednesday night, Golden State at 91: 90 defeat against the Rockets doomed the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

“I have never seen a loose ball foul on a jump ball situation, 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line,” Kerr said. “I’ve never seen that before. I think I saw it once in college 30 years ago. Never seen it in the NBA. That is, I think, unreasonable.

“I don’t even understand what just happened. Free ball, bouncing on the floor, 80 feet from the basket, and you give a player two free throws to tie the game while people fight for the ball. … Give them a time out and let the players decide the game.”

This foul led to the Rockets’ tie and free throws, the Warriors were unable to recover, ending their chances of winning the NBA Cup and the financial reward for the winning team.

Kerr, star Steph Curry and seemingly Draymond Green all had arguments with referee Bill Kennedy, who made the game-changing decision.

“I’m pissed off. I wanted to go to Las Vegas. “We wanted to win this Cup and not go because of a foul with a loose ball, 80 feet from the basket and the game on the line,” Kerr said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life and it was ridiculous.”

The Warriors led 90-89 with about 10 seconds left when Curry missed a three-pointer, sparking a scramble for the ball.

The ball eventually made its way to Jalen Green of the Rockets and Jonathan Kuminga of the Warriors, both of whom dived for the ball.

Green had better positioning than Kuminga, which apparently would have allowed the Rockets a timeout or even a jump ball.

Instead, Kennedy called for a foul.

“The defender makes contact with the neck and shoulder area, which warrants a personal foul,” Kennedy, the team manager, said in the pool report.

Green made both free throws with 3.1 seconds left to take a one-point lead, and Jabari Smith Jr. blocked Brnadin Podziemski’s game-winning attempt to secure the win.

As the game ended and the Rockets celebrated, Green gave Kennedy a sympathetic ear and the broadcast showed Curry looking on in disbelief.

“I didn’t see the replay, but in situations like that you get the feeling who’s going to get the ball first. If you tell me it was a clear foul then I’ll keep my mouth shut, but I don’t think that’s the case. “Was it?” Curry said while asking reporters their thoughts on the play. “There’s indecision in the group, so that means we’re going to let the game play out and let it be decided, not two free throws 90 feet from the basket.”

He added: “Obviously the way the 50-50 ball became an unreal loose ball foul changed the game.”

Kerr noted that the decision stood out all the more because the referees allowed what he described as a “wrestling match” with few decisions before calling a play that doesn’t normally result in a foul.

Both Kerr and Curry mentioned a missed call by the guard on a jumper that wasn’t called.

“This is a billion-dollar industry. You have other people’s jobs at stake. I’m stunned,” Kerr said. “I give the Rockets credit. They fought back. They played great defense all night. But I feel for our boys. Our guys fought back, worked their asses off and deserved to win the game or at least have a chance for a stop at the end to end the game and that was taken away from us by a decision that I believe I, no elementary school referee, would have done it because this guy would have had a feel for it and said, ‘You know what? I’m not going to decide a game with a loose ball that’s 80 feet from the basket.'”