HOUSTON — Warriors forward Draymond Green is a fierce competitor, on and off the court, and he loves nothing more than good, old-fashioned trash talk from his opponents. It seems to fuel Golden State’s veteran leader — and the more respect he has for someone, the more he wants to leave a lasting impression that his team will be the best they ever face on a basketball court.
That is why it is no surprise that Green and his teammates took great pride in defeating the Rockets, 133-110, at Toyota Center. Thursday’s victory all but eliminated Houston from 2024 postseason contention.
Golden State entered with extra motivation after recent remarks made by the Rockets’ second-year forward, Tari Eason, on Instagram.
“Warriors, come out and play,” Eason said after Houston’s March 27 win in Oklahoma City, which pulled them within a game of Golden State for the final Western Conference play-in tournament spot
Green then used his podcast to respond to Eason, whom he admires as a player, to say that he was putting his teammates in a terrible position — knowing they had one game left to play versus the Warriors. Eason could not play due to a season-ending leg injury.
“I love the competitive fire, I love the sh*t talking,that’s always fun” said Warriors forward Draymond Green when I asked him about the remarks made by Rockets forward Tari Eason. #Sarge @TAR13ASON @Money23Green pic.twitter.com/zYBheaDyu7
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) April 5, 2024
“Really big-time win for us, especially with the Rockets coming out to play,” Green jokingly said after the Warriors beat Dallas on Tuesday.
“They have lost a couple in a row, you know, and [are] three games behind with seven games left, and you’re losing the tiebreaker,” Green added. “So, four games behind in a sense with seven to go. If my math serves me correctly, [Thursday] will be an opportunity to end their season and their playoff hopes.”
Golden State (42-34) has now won six consecutive games as they pull away from the Rockets (38-38), who have lost three straight.
After the game, several Golden State players were heard screaming the phrase Eason referenced from the 1979 movie “The Warriors” as they made their way to the locker room. Guard Steph Curry was heard repeating Eason’s Instagram post from the bench, tapping three water bottles together to recreate the sound from the movie.
Green, who has won four NBA titles with the Warriors, thought the exchange between the two teams was good, healthy banter.
“I love it, I love it,” Green responded when asked about Eason’s comments. “Like I said on my podcast, Tari, if you’re going to say that, you got to play, though. You can’t come out and say that and not play. But I know what type of player he is. He welcomes all that. He welcomes the challenge. He welcomes the fight.”
“I saw him play last year and fell in love with his game because he does the dirty work,” Green said. “That team is better when he is out there. I love the competitive fire. I love the [expletive] talking. That is always fun. Hopefully, next year, he’ll say the same thing, and we won’t be fighting for the play-in; we’ll be fighting for seeding up top.”
