Death, taxes, and the Golden State Warriors tormenting the Houston Rockets. We're long past the heights of their rivalry from the 2010s, but the Dubs still love putting Houston in misery. Their latest matchup saw Golden State all but eliminate their rivals from the Play-In Tournament race. It's a brutal end for Houston, while Golden State celebrates their playoff chances staying alive.
After the game, Draymond Green talked about how big this win is for the Warriors. The long-time veteran said that this win that basically secured their spot in the Play-In allows them to chase higher goals, per Kendra Andrews.
“Green on tonight's win: “(Securing a top-10 seed) allows you to focus on what you can do to move up…The first step is to solidify ourselves a chance, give ourselves a chance. Once you get yourself a chance, it's like what's next? What's the best chance we can give ourselves?””
With the win, the Warriors sent the Rockets four games back from the tenth seed. Houston made a spirited push towards the Play-In over the last month or so. That, coupled with Golden State's lackadaisical play as of late, allowed the Rockets to creep into the Play-In picture. However, this win all but solidifies the Warriors' spot in the tournament.
Warriors' tumultuous season
Since winning the championship in 2022, the Warriors have been on a pretty up-and-down path. They've consistently been in the playoffs, at the very least. However, their performances in the postseason have ranged from pretty good to lacklustre. The team would make it at least to the second round, but never further.
This version of the Warriors has been pretty hit-or-miss this season. There are stretches of games where they'll look like a pretty damn good team. And they should be! Stephen Curry is still somehow playing some of the best ball of his career. Klay Thompson has revived his career from the bench. They have some excellent rookies. Chris Paul, despite his age, is still a decent hand.
And yet, they just can't seem to consistently connect to each other. It's a big reason why they're sitting at tenth in the West instead of being higher, despite having Curry on the team. Getting the proverbial monkey off their back does help: they can focus on getting better without worrying about their seeding. However, they're still not completely off the hook yet.
Draymond Green's season
As for Green, the Warriors veteran had quite the offseason. The former Defensive Player of the Year was out for most of the season after being indefinitely suspended by the NBA due to his violent tendencies. Much has been made about Green's antics and how the Warriors handled the situation. However, after a few months, the team reinstated the forward to their roster.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Green has been just as volatile as he's been in the later stages of his career. His recent ejection during the opening moments of the first quarter was emblematic of this. It's gotten to the point that fans are questioning if Green is good for the team's chemistry.
That being said… Green is still an integral part of the Warriors, especially on defense. His ability to predict plans and read the offense is still as good as its ever been. If this team can get their act together, they'll be a force to be reckoned with.
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