The Western Conference finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets kicked off Monday, and it was as entertaining and explosive most people thought it would be. Warriors forward Draymond Green set the game’s tone early and offered a bit of a preview of how intense Game 1 was going to be played out the rest of the way when he gave Rockets superstar James Harden a shove in the neck in the opening minutes of the contest.

Green and the Warriors made sure that Harden would not have the last laugh in the game, as Golden State eked out a comfortable 119-106 win over the Rockets to take a 1-0 series lead. Following the game, Green was asked to shed light on his team’s aggressive approach in the early goings of the Game 1, saying that it was a product of the team’s over-eagerness.

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Green picked up a technical for his brush with Harden but kept his emotions just enough to avoid picking up another. He finished the game with five points, nine rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and two blocks along with a team-best plus/minus of plus-19. Green and the Warriors shot 52.5 percent from the field and matched the Rockets’ 13 threes with 13 makes from deep of their own.

Game 2 of the series is going to be on Wednesday at Houston.