They may have gone through a very scenic route, but the Golden State Warriors finally punched their ticket into the 2025 NBA playoffs with a 121-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament on Tuesday night. What awaits Stephen Curry and the Warriors, however, is a tough matchup against the two-seeded Houston Rockets — a team that can overwhelm the opposition with athleticism and physicality, making up for their occasional lack of shooting efficiency.

In the aftermath of the Warriors' play-in tournament triumph, the Rockets' official account on X announced that their matchup against the Dubs is now official. This then sparked a bit of a buzz among Rockets fans, as they are raring to see their beloved team avenge their playoff defeats to the Warriors in the past.

“The curse… we have to break it…” X user @DevSportsTalk wrote.

“Time to get this monkey off our back. Let's go!!” @MartyMerky added.

“please please please please please do not lose this series i’ve watched us get dog walked by the warriors since i was 14 years old man,” @cjohn1616 furthered.

A playoff series against Curry and the Warriors will bring back memories of all the years where it was the Dubs that sent the Rockets packing in the playoffs. From 2015 to 2019, the Warriors and the Rockets faced each other in the playoffs four times, with Golden State winning every series and causing much heartbreak for Houston fans who couldn't seem to overcome the league's biggest powerhouse at the time.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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Times, however, are changing; the Rockets have an up-and-coming young core who will play like they have nothing to lose against a Warriors side that will feel pressure to make things work considering how old their superstar core is. They definitely have all the tools at their disposal to finally exorcise their playoff demons, kicking off a new era of contention in Houston in style.

Rockets vs. Warriors will be must-see TV

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) steals the ball from Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the second quarter at the Chase Center.
Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

From a glance, it looks as though the upcoming series between the Rockets and Warriors can go in any direction. But if Houston locks in defensively, the Warriors will have few answers for their physicality. In the two teams' most recent matchup, Amen Thompson hounded Stephen Curry and forced him into just three points on 1-10 shooting on the night — a dreadful outing.

The Rockets can also play bully-ball; they led the league in rebounding percentage this year, and they can take advantage of the Dubs' tendency to go small, with Alperen Sengun taking it upon himself to dominate the interior. This is a series that could go in any direction, making it must-see television for every NBA fan.