It’s been over five years since the Rockets and Warriors last met in the NBA Playoffs. And while some of the biggest names in Golden State remain, a new crop of talent in Houston has signaled the rivalry’s renewal.
After a strong finish to the 2023-24 season, the Rockets have been one of the NBA’s hottest teams to start the 2024-25 campaign. At the forefront of the resurgence are head coach Ime Udoka, veterans Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet, and a young core featuring Tari Eason, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun., Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson.
With the veterans fueling them, Houston’s young players are an openly confident group. Last season, that confidence got Eason involved in a feud with a few of Golden State’s four-time champions.
It might not be the NBA Playoffs but the Rockets and Warriors rivalry enters a new chapter when they meet in the Quarterfinals of the 2024 NBA Cup. Here’s how a classic film fanned the flames of the rivalry’s new era.
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