Rockets got a refresher course from Warriors
HOUSTON » Leading up to the showdown, the Houston Rockets had taken some light-hearted jabs at the Warriors.
Their coach, Mike D’Antoni, joked about the Warriors recently having lost to the lowly Phoenix Suns. One of their players, guard Austin Rivers, offered that the Warriors “take it personal” that Houston beat them three times this season. Another player, center Kenneth Faried, boasted that “we know how good we are to be able to beat the Warriors.”
Naturally, those quotes reached Draymond Green. Did that provide fuel to the Warriors’ fire Wednesday night.
“Hell no. For what?” Green said after the 106-104 victory. “We don’t need to be juiced up with them talking. We beat them. We don’t need to be juiced when they say we’re not on their level. That’s dumb. That doesn’t make sense. I’m not sure stupidity juices anyone. It’s like ‘ That’s dumb.’ So no.”
The Rockets came into Wednesday night’s game riding a nine- game winning streak. They had won the first three meetings with the Warriors this season. They had a chance to become the first team to sweep the Warriors in a four- game regular- season series since the San Antonio Spurs in 2013-14.
The Rockets won the first matchup 107-86 on Nov. 12, the night Green returned from a one-game suspension for his flareup with Kevin Durant.
In the second matchup, despite playing without Chris Paul, the the Rockets won in overtime on a dagger three by James Harden. They played without Harden in the third matchup, but scored the first 15 points and coasted.
“They should be confi- dent,” Green said. “If they’re not confident, who’s going to be confident for them?”
“I’d be confident too if I won nine in a row,” Curry said. “What do you expect them to say? DEMARCUS COUSINS WEIGHS IN ON THE SOAP OPERA » Cousins spent his childhood with his grandmother, who often watched the soap opera, “As the World Turns.” Cousins’ grandmother called the show “her story.” So the two tuned in on what the next plot twist entailed.
“Every episode there was something,” Cousins said, laughing before equating it to the Warriors’ season. “That’s what this has turned into.”
And what does he think about “As the Warriors’ World Turns?”
“We’ve all been in this business long enough to know how it goes,” Cousins said. “I’ve been around this team to know how things go around here. You all are always looking for something to make a story. I could care less. Y’all got to do your job and I got to do my mine. Y’all are looking for a story.” ANOTHER SPLASH FOR THE SPLASH BROTHERS » En route to a game-high 30 points, Klay Thompson joined Curry as the only players in NBA history to make at least 200 3’s for seven consecutive seasons.
“That’s special. That’s really cool,” Thompson said. “I know he revolutionized the game. It’s cool to be on his heels and be on that same aura.”
Thompson expects more players will be joining the club in the years ahead.
“It will definitely happen again with the way these dudes are shooting these days,” he said.