Why didn’t the Warriors foul Chet Holmgren?

It’s a question that often comes up when a team concedes a winning basket at the last second: why not make a mistake and thus send the player to the free throw line, so that he only scores, at worst, two points ? That’s what happened last night with the Warriors and Chet Holmgren.

Excellent in this part, the Thunder rookie scored a 3-pointer at the buzzer to equalize, with only 1.6 seconds remaining after Andrew Wiggins’ successful shot. As Golden State then lost in overtime, the question was logically asked to Steve Kerr at a press conference.

“We only wanted to make a mistake if we could make a good mistake, because with the time left (1.6 seconds)if a player catches the ball, he will shoot directly”, the Warriors coach justifies himself for NBC Sports. “I have already seen actions where the referees give the foul on the shot, so you have to be careful. »

If the Warriors had made a mistake on the shot, Chet Holmgren would then have had three free throws, which would not have helped the 2022 champions. Andrew Wiggins, who was responsible for defending the rookie, made the same analysis.

“I could have made a mistake, but he took the shot quickly so he would have had three free throws,” explains the winger. “I just tried to put my hand in to embarrass him. But he’s big. »

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.