Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker was left to his last resort during crunch time against the Golden State Warriors, forced to trash talk Stephen Curry with the game on the line at the Toyota Center on Wednesday night.
The Warriors were up by a point (104-103) when Curry was intentionally fouled and sent to the line for a couple freebies with eight seconds left. Tucker is seen getting in Curry's airspace right before he takes the stripe, hoping to rattle him and give his team a fighting chance.
Rockets, most unlikeable team in the NBA. Again. Nice try, Tucker.
Curry doesn't get rattled.pic.twitter.com/3QTJlJwBMe— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) March 14, 2019
Curry, the all-time league leader in free-throw shooting and second-best this season at a 91.9 percent clip, would drain the pair with ease, giving the Warriors a three-point lead — which would prove enough to win the game after James Harden split his free throws in the ensuing possession.
It's not uncommon for players to try to rattle one another at a critical point in the game, but Tucker's role is to be that instigator, hoping to get a rise out of his opponents.
Unlike mercurial players like Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins, Curry is a rather cool customer when it comes to his demeanor, and has proven to have ice in his veins at the foul line — making him the obvious choice to take those game-sealing foul shots.