The clanging of the bottles and the annoying voice and cadence are becoming more clear.
The only thing is instead of actor David Patrick Kelly in the 1970s hit film, “The Warriors,” it’s the normally reserve Tari Eason acting as the menace.
“Warriors come out to plaaaaay.”
Not even a month ago, it might have seemed ridiculous that the Rockets would be calling out the four-time World champion Golden State Warriors. But that is exactly what is happening as the Rockets attempt to run down the aging Warriors for the 10th and final Western Conference playoff spot during this final month of the NBA regular season.
An improbable March run that saw the up-and-coming Rockets put together an 11-game winning streak and post a 13-2 record in March, has made the impossible seem possible, despite an ill-timed current two-game losing streak they are on.
The Rockets and Warriors are in a down-to-wire race for the final play-in spot with Thursday night’s showdown between the two sure to have all types of implications. Only two games separated the Rockets and Warriors – really three because the Warriors will own the head-to-head tiebreaker — going into Tuesday night’s action.
The Rockets put themselves in a tougher spot by losing at home to Dallas on Sunday, 125-107, to snap their 11-game winning streak and then suffered a 113-106 loss at Minnesota on Tuesday night. The Warriors, meanwhile, defeated San Antonio on the road to strengthen their hold on the 10th and final playoff spot.
It’s meaningful Rockets basketball with six games left in April, which hasn’t been the case in Houston in a while.
“That’s probably the most important thing. You would obviously like to be solidified in the spot or something like that,” first-year coach Ime Udoka said after his team celebrated after defeating the Thunder in overtime to extend their winning streak to 10 on March 27. “In January or February their season had been over in the past, but to still be playing for something, winning 10 in a row and playing against high-quality teams, that’s the reaction you are going to get.”
Most coaches would have tried to play down the Rockets’ wild celebration after a regular-season game, but Udoka understood it coming from where the Rockets have been in recent years.
“I didn’t have the pain of the last three years of all the losing, so it obviously means a lot to them and myself, as well. Ten in a row is 10 in a row,” he said. “It’s hard to do in the NBA.
“The guys were proud of that effort and well-deserved. The last three years of 17, 19 and 22 wins, that’s the reaction you are going to get when you put 10 together in a row.”
The names and the young core of Jalen Green, Jabari Smith, Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore and Eason haven’t changed. But the intensity, understanding and maturity have certainly changed since the All-Star break.
All of a sudden, a team that looked like it was headed back into the NBA Draft Lottery in January is looking like a team that can win some games in the playoffs this season.
Much of the turnaround rests with Green, who is showing himself to be the young and dynamic star after being subject to countless trade rumors prior to February’s trade deadline. Green averaged 29.8 points during the Rockets’ 10-game winning streak, which included two 40-plus points games and two 37-point games.
But it hasn’t been Green alone.
Collectively, the team is playing some of the best defense in the league and the offense has been elite as well, even without talented Alperen Sengun (ankle sprain) in the lineup.
“We’re playing more aggressive, we’re playing together and I feel like everyone has one goal and are narrowing in on that one goal,” veteran Dillon Brooks told the Defender. “Now everyone is on the same page and aggressive, confident rate of play, you get that good result.”
At times, it’s hard to believe this is the same team that ended February with a record of 25-34. But clearly there has been more of a buy-in to Udoka’s style of play, and the results have been beyond impressive.
Some may not remember, but the Boston Celtics slumped early and then turned it around during their first and only season under Udoka a couple of years ago. That Celtics team ended up in the NBA Finals against the Warriors.
“I feel like we are bought into winning games, regardless of who is scoring, who is in foul trouble, who is out,” Brooks said of the reason for the Rockets turnaround. “We are just trying to figure out how to win games to get our goal.”
That goal is obviously making the postseason, which the Rockets haven’t made since the 2019-2020 season. Surprisingly, Udoka insists the playoffs have not been discussed in the locker room as a team.
“Everybody sees the standings,” he said. “We know where we are, but it’s not something we’ve talked about since we’ve been winning and playing better since the All-Star Break. What we’ve been focusing on is maintaining that standard and playing a consistent level of basketball.
“We know we need some help as far as that. Everybody looks at it, of course. We know. The players know and they have discussed it in the media but it’s not something we’ve talked about. We just want to continue to stack wins together and put the pressure on the other teams.”
