MultiTroll
04-21-2016, 05:26 PM
HOUSTON – With the Warriors threatening to sweep the much-maligned Rockets into the offseason, verbal warfare has commenced between the teams.
Down 2-0 in the best-of-seven first-round series, the Rockets went on the offensive Tuesday, with James Harden accusing the Warriors of illegal screens, an allegation the defending champions heard repeatedly in the regular season.
“If it’s illegal, then it’s tough for everybody,” Harden told reporters.
There was more of the same on Wednesday, with Houston coach J.B. Bickerstaff hyping Game 3 by beating war drums, making further accusations while urging his team to crank up its edge after its first two performances.
“We needed to be a little more nasty,” Bickerstaff said. “Things are too free-flowing. And you go back and watch them play, and you watch a shot go up and Andrew Bogut grabs Dwight’s (Howard) jersey. You watch them push our guys in the back. If Klay Thompson wants to get open for a shot, he does a two-hand shove to get open.”
Speaking on behalf of the Warriors, Draymond Green delivered a stinging response to the ceaseless accusations and allegations and complaints.
“I’ve never really been one to make excuses,” he said. “Stuff happens. You make an adjustment. It’s not really in my DNA (to make excuses).”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr shrugged about the physicality while making fun of the ongoing contradictory perceptions, one being that the Warriors are a team of jump-shooting softies and the other being that they’re a bunch of borderline thugs.
“We’re one or the other,” he joked. “We’re either a soft, jump-shooting team, or we’re dirty. I’m not sure which.”
However they have gotten to this point, the Warriors are in position to go up 3-0 in the series Thursday night despite getting only 20 minutes out of Stephen Curry. Which surely is one of many sources of frustration for the Rockets.
“When the bullies are kicking your butt, there is actually two ways to respond,” veteran guard Jason Terry said. “But I prefer to swing and fight, so that’s what it looks like. The other way is run or go home. When you lose, that’s where you’re headed anyway. We want to be the aggressor and fight and see what the results are.”
Said Green: “If they want to get physical, they can get physical.”
Though Houston guard Patrick Beverley’s hyper-aggressive defense on Curry in the opening minutes of Game 1 drew a double technical foul, it also set a tone from the beginning. Play has been physical, and it’ll be more physical in Game 3.
“However they’re going to stop us from winning, they need to figure that out,” Green said, “as opposed to trying to figure out whether we set illegals screens or whether we’re a jump-shooting team.
“How about figure out how to beat us?”
http://www.csnbayarea.com/warriors/verbal-warfare-picks-between-warriors-rockets
by Monte Poole
Down 2-0 in the best-of-seven first-round series, the Rockets went on the offensive Tuesday, with James Harden accusing the Warriors of illegal screens, an allegation the defending champions heard repeatedly in the regular season.
“If it’s illegal, then it’s tough for everybody,” Harden told reporters.
There was more of the same on Wednesday, with Houston coach J.B. Bickerstaff hyping Game 3 by beating war drums, making further accusations while urging his team to crank up its edge after its first two performances.
“We needed to be a little more nasty,” Bickerstaff said. “Things are too free-flowing. And you go back and watch them play, and you watch a shot go up and Andrew Bogut grabs Dwight’s (Howard) jersey. You watch them push our guys in the back. If Klay Thompson wants to get open for a shot, he does a two-hand shove to get open.”
Speaking on behalf of the Warriors, Draymond Green delivered a stinging response to the ceaseless accusations and allegations and complaints.
“I’ve never really been one to make excuses,” he said. “Stuff happens. You make an adjustment. It’s not really in my DNA (to make excuses).”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr shrugged about the physicality while making fun of the ongoing contradictory perceptions, one being that the Warriors are a team of jump-shooting softies and the other being that they’re a bunch of borderline thugs.
“We’re one or the other,” he joked. “We’re either a soft, jump-shooting team, or we’re dirty. I’m not sure which.”
However they have gotten to this point, the Warriors are in position to go up 3-0 in the series Thursday night despite getting only 20 minutes out of Stephen Curry. Which surely is one of many sources of frustration for the Rockets.
“When the bullies are kicking your butt, there is actually two ways to respond,” veteran guard Jason Terry said. “But I prefer to swing and fight, so that’s what it looks like. The other way is run or go home. When you lose, that’s where you’re headed anyway. We want to be the aggressor and fight and see what the results are.”
Said Green: “If they want to get physical, they can get physical.”
Though Houston guard Patrick Beverley’s hyper-aggressive defense on Curry in the opening minutes of Game 1 drew a double technical foul, it also set a tone from the beginning. Play has been physical, and it’ll be more physical in Game 3.
“However they’re going to stop us from winning, they need to figure that out,” Green said, “as opposed to trying to figure out whether we set illegals screens or whether we’re a jump-shooting team.
“How about figure out how to beat us?”
http://www.csnbayarea.com/warriors/verbal-warfare-picks-between-warriors-rockets
by Monte Poole