April 15, 2025 • 5 mins
From Draymond Green's antics to Steve Kerr's complaining to officiating showing favoritism, the Houston Rockets must be mentally prepared for all the punches should they on the Golden State Warriors in Round 1 of the playoffs. The A-Team breaks down what to expect in the series that could send Houston to the next round of the postseason and how containing Green should signal the start of a new era of Rockets' basketball
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
How mentally prepared are you for Rockets v. Warriors seven
game series? This crap again. Now, I'm not actually asking
wex because as we've established many times over the course
of this show that we've now been doing six plus years,
you have no feelings.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Well, I'm not into the I hope they don't have
to play them now, not in any scenario, not specific
to Rockets, worst specific to every postseason right. Oh man,
if the Texans when they got to go to Kansas City, Okay, good,
who would be more fun to beat than that? That's
why you feel more good about yourselves as a team
if you win. I'm all for it. There's no reason
(00:39):
to look at it the other way. I'm not saying
you have to, or you have to, or the team
has to, or any other talk show hosts have to,
or the people you're sitting next to a big city
wings have to think differently. I'm just saying, what's the downside? Yeah,
you lose, Well, they could lose to anybody with what
the Western Conference looks like in any given year, because
of injury or any scenario you could fall. They have
history the franchises due, but it's not like James Harden
(01:01):
is trying to exercise Golden State warrior demons. None of
the players in uniform are trying to exercise warrior demons.
None of the coaching staff is trying to exercise warrior demons.
They're not carrying anything into the series other than well,
what did it look like when they beat us down
by thirty one points in the first half? Oh, you
mean the team that we came all the way back
on a force overtime. What did it look like when
(01:22):
you played him with Butler this month?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
You mean the time we went to Golden State and
beat them and held Steph Curry to one for ten. Yeah,
I remember what that looked like. And then there were
the other two games they lost, and then the other
game that they won.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
That's all that matters, And all of these games this year,
regardless of who was on the roster and who was
still playing in Miami or everything, that factors in single digits.
I mean, it's I think, if nothing else, especially in
light of the fact that the Rockets do have home
court advantage, this should be a competitive series. But that's
the case for anybody you would have played in the
(01:54):
playoffs this year. It's not named Oklahoma city, which you
avoided by getting the two seed until the conference final,
of course, but I mean mentally prepared to preparing it
on well, mentally prepared. When I say that, that means more,
oh good, more of the nonsense starring Draymond Green. And
I'm so tired of this guy and the least he gets,
(02:17):
and the lack of technicals and ejections and just the
complete and utter separate set of rules for a guy
who legit walks into arenas in the NBA and tries
to hurt people repeatedly. It's astounding to me that this
is still the case, and in a weird way, and
(02:40):
not a good way, by the way. I don't think
it's going to change. In fact, I think it's gonna
get worse because it's gonna be even harder for these
officials that can't find it in their hearts to throw
them out in a regular season game. Well, we can't
do it now. These games mean way more. Why would
we throw out Draymond Green now? Especially when Steve Kurr
is gonna get up at the podium with a straight
face and complain about it afterward.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
He's becoming less and less of the reason they win
and lose. Like many years ago we were talking about
his kicking incident that did cost them a weak one
in the playoffs. Oh than the Lebron one. It's just different.
He's just not He is a very important player. I'm
not trying to just be that dismissive of him. But
he's probably going to go out there and hit two
(03:22):
shots max, He's going to grab ten rebounds, might have
seven assists if all things go well, and he's going
to commit his five fouls. Is he going to be
a plus to them while he's on the court is
the real question, and it has become a question. There
didn't used to be a question about it during their
championship level runs. And that's the other part of this,
Like when was the last time the Warriors were considered
(03:45):
I applaud them for going out and getting Jimmy Butler.
So people want to tell you that this is where
they are a real Western Conference champion contender, Well they
haven't been for such a long time now. I don't
think anybody expected it to return. I mean, twenty twenty two.
Maybe it doesn't sound like much, but last year, do
(04:05):
you remember what they did in the postseason? Well, you
can't because they weren't in it.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I guess I'm just irritated because I already know some
of the things that are gonna take place. If that's
indeed the matchup, well.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
As long as nobody in the Rockets locker room is
already defeated before the game begins.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Well that's honestly, and I was giving him a hard time,
but that's kind of how it sounded from Ross when
I was guest hosting earlier. Today, it's like, well.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
What, well, let him stay in the game, let him
yell at everybody, let him get technicals, make the free throws,
let him commit flagrance, make the free throws, score on
the ensuing possession. Make him less useful to the Warriors
as he additionally hurts the team. Yeah, you hope that
he misses his wide open shots because you're absolutely positively
going to give them to him. You don't want to
give him any fast break opportunities where he grabs a rebound,
(04:51):
takes it down court and nobody picks him up, which
happens far too often. Once you're in the half court offense,
keep him off the offensive glass. He becomes a he's
their fifth player on the court who unless he's creating
offense for other guys. He's not doing anything offensively defensively,
still can Yeah, I look, it's not Oh, I'm not worried.
They're not gonna lose the series because of Draymond Green.
(05:12):
I would put it that way. They're gonna lose because
of Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry, Pajemski, and Kuminga. They're they're
they're players who have elevated their games.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
They're not even set to play the Warriors yet, and
you've got them losing to them,
How mentally prepared are you for Rockets v. Warriors seven
game series? This crap again. Now, I'm not actually asking
wex because as we've established many times over the course
of this show that we've now been doing six plus years,
you have no feelings.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Well, I'm not into the I hope they don't have
to play them now, not in any scenario, not specific
to Rockets, worst specific to every postseason right. Oh man,
if the Texans when they got to go to Kansas City, Okay, good,
who would be more fun to beat than that? That's
why you feel more good about yourselves as a team
if you win. I'm all for it. There's no reason
(00:39):
to look at it the other way. I'm not saying
you have to, or you have to, or the team
has to, or any other talk show hosts have to,
or the people you're sitting next to a big city
wings have to think differently. I'm just saying, what's the downside? Yeah,
you lose, Well, they could lose to anybody with what
the Western Conference looks like in any given year, because
of injury or any scenario you could fall. They have
history the franchises due, but it's not like James Harden
(01:01):
is trying to exercise Golden State warrior demons. None of
the players in uniform are trying to exercise warrior demons.
None of the coaching staff is trying to exercise warrior demons.
They're not carrying anything into the series other than well,
what did it look like when they beat us down
by thirty one points in the first half? Oh, you
mean the team that we came all the way back
on a force overtime. What did it look like when
(01:22):
you played him with Butler this month?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
You mean the time we went to Golden State and
beat them and held Steph Curry to one for ten. Yeah,
I remember what that looked like. And then there were
the other two games they lost, and then the other
game that they won.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
That's all that matters, And all of these games this year,
regardless of who was on the roster and who was
still playing in Miami or everything, that factors in single digits.
I mean, it's I think, if nothing else, especially in
light of the fact that the Rockets do have home
court advantage, this should be a competitive series. But that's
the case for anybody you would have played in the
(01:54):
playoffs this year. It's not named Oklahoma city, which you
avoided by getting the two seed until the conference final,
of course, but I mean mentally prepared to preparing it
on well, mentally prepared. When I say that, that means more,
oh good, more of the nonsense starring Draymond Green. And
I'm so tired of this guy and the least he gets,
(02:17):
and the lack of technicals and ejections and just the
complete and utter separate set of rules for a guy
who legit walks into arenas in the NBA and tries
to hurt people repeatedly. It's astounding to me that this
is still the case, and in a weird way, and
(02:40):
not a good way, by the way. I don't think
it's going to change. In fact, I think it's gonna
get worse because it's gonna be even harder for these
officials that can't find it in their hearts to throw
them out in a regular season game. Well, we can't
do it now. These games mean way more. Why would
we throw out Draymond Green now? Especially when Steve Kurr
is gonna get up at the podium with a straight
face and complain about it afterward.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
He's becoming less and less of the reason they win
and lose. Like many years ago we were talking about
his kicking incident that did cost them a weak one
in the playoffs. Oh than the Lebron one. It's just different.
He's just not He is a very important player. I'm
not trying to just be that dismissive of him. But
he's probably going to go out there and hit two
(03:22):
shots max, He's going to grab ten rebounds, might have
seven assists if all things go well, and he's going
to commit his five fouls. Is he going to be
a plus to them while he's on the court is
the real question, and it has become a question. There
didn't used to be a question about it during their
championship level runs. And that's the other part of this,
Like when was the last time the Warriors were considered
(03:45):
I applaud them for going out and getting Jimmy Butler.
So people want to tell you that this is where
they are a real Western Conference champion contender, Well they
haven't been for such a long time now. I don't
think anybody expected it to return. I mean, twenty twenty two.
Maybe it doesn't sound like much, but last year, do
(04:05):
you remember what they did in the postseason? Well, you
can't because they weren't in it.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I guess I'm just irritated because I already know some
of the things that are gonna take place. If that's
indeed the matchup, well.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
As long as nobody in the Rockets locker room is
already defeated before the game begins.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Well that's honestly, and I was giving him a hard time,
but that's kind of how it sounded from Ross when
I was guest hosting earlier. Today, it's like, well.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
What, well, let him stay in the game, let him
yell at everybody, let him get technicals, make the free throws,
let him commit flagrance, make the free throws, score on
the ensuing possession. Make him less useful to the Warriors
as he additionally hurts the team. Yeah, you hope that
he misses his wide open shots because you're absolutely positively
going to give them to him. You don't want to
give him any fast break opportunities where he grabs a rebound,
(04:51):
takes it down court and nobody picks him up, which
happens far too often. Once you're in the half court offense,
keep him off the offensive glass. He becomes a he's
their fifth player on the court who unless he's creating
offense for other guys. He's not doing anything offensively defensively,
still can Yeah, I look, it's not Oh, I'm not worried.
They're not gonna lose the series because of Draymond Green.
(05:12):
I would put it that way. They're gonna lose because
of Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry, Pajemski, and Kuminga. They're they're
they're players who have elevated their games.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
They're not even set to play the Warriors yet, and
you've got them losing to them,
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