Draymond dismisses Rockets: 'I don’t know how serious they take defense'
The Houston Rockets keep talking like they have a shot at upsetting the Golden State Warriors in a playoff series. Draymond Green isn't buying it.
Green knocked Houston yet again after practice Monday when he discussed recent comments from Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni, who said neither team could stop the other.
"You’re not gonna stop them. It’s just not gonna happen. They’re not gonna stop us, either," D'Antoni said of the Warriors.
"I don’t know how serious they take defense with that comment," an annoyed Green responded, according to Mark Medina of the Mercury News. "But they added some good defensive players."
Green pointed out the main difference between the two teams: The Warriors dominate on both sides of the ball, whereas the Rockets are strong offensively but weak defensively.
Houston owned the second-best offense in the league last season, which powered the team to 55 wins. However, the Rockets' offense dropped off significantly in the playoffs while their defense remained mediocre as usual.
| Team | Offensive Rating (rank) | Defensive Rating (rank) |
|---|---|---|
| Warriors | 113.2 (1) | 101.1 (2) |
| Rockets | 111.8 (2) | 106.4 (18) |
"They want it to be a shootout, which is fine," Green said. "But we're going to play some defense. We scored pretty well. But we're a damn good defensive team too. So we’re going to play some defense."
Green has every reason to be confident given that the Warriors easily bounced the Rockets from championship contention in both 2015 and 2016. Since their last postseason meeting, Houston added Chris Paul, but the Warriors signed an even bigger star in Kevin Durant.