USA couldn't figure out Germany in the semifinals.
It's hard to imagine coach Steve Kerr, for all his humility, self-deprecating humor, and class, getting a lot of hate.
But that's exactly what happened after USA got upset by a well-oiled Germany crew, 113-111 in the semifinals of the FIBA World Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday.
The 57-year-old Kerr was tasked to reclaim the gold medal in the prestigious tournament and find vindication for USA after its embarrassing seventh-place finish in the previous edition in China. Alas, he fell short.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, the four-time NBA champion coach got bashed, mainly for his alleged stubbornness to stick to small ball basketball and his other tactical philosophies.
Netizens also said the Golden State Warriors coach only knows how to when he's around Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
Some also claimed, including NBA pundit Kevin O'Connor, that Kerr didn't know how to use his players properly.
Several, meanwhile, were just downright, um, not kind.
After their tough loss, Kerr admitted in the press conference that international basketball is not a cakewalk anymore since "players are better all over the world." He noted that "it's not 1992 anymore," referring to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where USA, represented by the Dream Team, was 7389374974 levels above the competition.
But even that factual remark earned Kerr a lot of heat.
Truly, coaching is a thankless job.
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