Pressure is mounting on the Golden State Warriors. Despite having the biggest payroll in the NBA, the Warriors are dangerously close to missing out on the play-in tournament, with their 114-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves not helping matters in the slightest. The Warriors now have a mere one game lead for the 10th spot in the Western Conference standings, and the team that's trailing them, the Houston Rockets, is on a heater, having won their past eight games.
Nevertheless, Draymond Green, the proud four-time NBA champion, believes that the Warriors are still in the driver's seat, especially if his comments regarding the Rockets' recent charge is anything to go off of.
âI don't give a damn about the Rockets,â a cool and composed Green said in his postgame presser, per NBC Sports Warriors via ClutchPoints Twitter (X).
"I don't give a damn about the Rockets."
Draymond Green isn't concerned about Houston surpassing the 10th seeded Warriors đ
Rockets are currently 1 game back of the Dubs for the final Play-In Tournament spot.
(via @NBCSWarriors)pic.twitter.com/LVefGLIs5P
â ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 25, 2024
Draymond Green, knowing his personality, would never say otherwise. The Warriors still have Stephen Curry so they should have the veteran resolve to withstand this kind of adversity. But the Rockets are playing with house money, putting together their best basketball after being essentially counted out in the aftermath of Alperen Sengun's injury.
Momentum is definitely in Houston's favor. But Green might have to take the hard-charging Rockets more seriously, especially when the Warriors haven't exactly been doing well over their past ten games (4-6).
Warriors vs. Rockets â a rivalry renewed
It is a bit poetic that it's the Rockets who are threatening to keep the Warriors out of the playoff conversation entirely. During the 2010s, the Warriors stood in the Rockets' way in the postseason three times, and defeated them on every occasion. The Dubs eliminated the Rockets in 2015, 2018, and 2019, with 2018 being the most heartbreaking missed opportunity for Houston to win a coveted championship.
Of course, this Rockets team is different; James Harden is long gone, Chris Paul is a member of the Warriors now, and gone is the lovable supporting cast led by PJ Tucker, Eric Gordon, and Clint Capela. But the Rockets, at the very least, can stick it to the face of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson one last time, cementing the Dubs' status as a dynasty in decline.
Nevertheless, the Warriors still have Curry on the roster; one way or another, Curry has gotten his way over the Rockets at crucial moments, so perhaps some things are just inevitable. They still have a one-game lead anyway and they have the sixth-easiest schedule left (for reference, the Rockets have the 10th-most difficult schedule remaining), so the odds remain in their favor even though recent results show otherwise.
Houston, we've had lift-off
On March 6, the Rockets fell to 27-35, and it looked like the playoff picture in the Western Conference was set. Despite making improvements this season, it seemed like the Rockets were still below the standard of what constitutes a playoff team in a tough conference. And then an injury to Alperen Sengun felt like the final nail in their season's coffin.
But the Rockets have won their past eight games, taking advantage of six games against sub-.500 teams. It bears mentioning, however, that they also defeated the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers during that span, so it's not like they just beat up on some truly horrendous teams.
Jalen Green, in particular, has been on a heater, averaging close to 30 points over the past eight games, while Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Amen Thompson have all turned the Rockets into a menace on both ends of the floor. They have a +13.7 net rating over their last eight games, which is second in the league only to the Boston Celtics during that period. Draymond Green and the Warriors better not take this team lightly.
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