Rockets coach Udoka calls out Warriors fans before Game 3 in Bay originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Shots fired.
As expected, there has been no shortage of fireworks between the Warriors and Houston Rockets in their first-round NBA playoff series, with plenty of chatter between the teams and their fanbases.
But Rockets coach Ime Udoka clearly believes Dub Nation only feels comfortable talking trash online, as he said in his pregame press conference at Chase Center before Game 3 on Saturday.
“Very pleasant,” Udoka said with a smile when NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke asked about exchanges with Warriors fans who recognized him during his walks outside the Rockets’ hotel in San Francisco. “… Wherever you go, you might have hostility online and all this, but in person, nobody says anything. You’re not as brave in person.”
After Golden State’s Game 1 win, Houston came out with a physical approach in its Game 2 victory, which led to Jimmy Butler’s pelvic injury that will keep him out of Game 3. During that game, Udoka was heard on a hot mic telling the Rockets’ bench, “Don’t worry, they’re [the refs] not going to call anything, play through it,” and guard Fred VanFleet reportedly told Draymond Green the Warriors “better pray Jimmy’s back.”
Always-candid Rockets forward Dillon Brooks also told reporters Green was “dirty” and to blame for Butler’s injury — a sentiment coach Steve Kerr later called “interesting” — while many Warriors fans have pointed the finger at Houston forward Amen Thompson for crashing into Butler on the play. The entire situation played out during a game where Rockets fans chanted “F–k you, Draymond” in Houston.
It’s safe to say there’s no love lost between the Warriors and Rockets in the high-stakes matchup. And that goes for the fans, too — who now might be more inclined to give Udoka a piece of their mind if they run into him in the Bay.
