ClutchFans Game Thread: Warriors @ Rockets 4/20/2025 (Playoffs Round 1, Game 1)

Also feels so great to have a playoff game

 

It would be a damn shame if Curry got undercut on every 3 and poked in the eyes repeatedly.

 

If the Warriors try to bully us that falls into our trap. We thrive off of it

 

I agree 100%. Cannot afford to get punked here with our "rough and rugged team" reputation. And of course all the ish Tari has talked. He better be stepping up to Draymond if some nonsense goes down.

 

I think I was one of the few who was mad when we traded Francis/Mobley for T-Mac...

 

Curry vs Cocaine (Curry)

 

Draymond is gonna try his usual antics. I wouldn’t be surprised if Amen swings on him.

Amen ain’t scared of donkey.

 

I think rebounding is where the Rockets should have a major advantage. Not only Adams, but the entire team has been focused on winning the battle of the boards.

Keep the rebounding rate up and they should be extremely tough to beat.

 

Draymond loves being the underdog against the Rockets.

 

No propaganda allowed here.

 

donkey preparation for a playoff series consists of identifying who to karate kick in the nuts and working on various moving screen choreographies

 

Baron got fewer white hair than Draymond.

 

I really hope Dillon or Amen fight Draymond and punk his old ass. He does all these antics and talks all that **** but he won't step up to anyone other than Jordan Poole. Draymond not trying to fight Amen or Dillon.

I think Rockets in 6 but the refs will control a lot of this series. If they let us play tough physical defense I don't think the warriors stand a chance. They don't have anyone who can beat us other than Steph on offense.

 

Also anyone else notice Amen has a bit of an attitude in his game? When I watch him it looks like he really trying to kill people and take names. He also not afraid of high pressure situations or of starting altercations with bullies.

 

(Assuming Brooks and Tari are his primary defenders) I worry about Butler averaging 10+ ft/g this series.

Amen, if he switches onto him, can match his IQ and contain him. But Kerr & Co. probably knows, so they might opt to spam Butler ISOs while Green and Curry do their thing off-ball...



If he cooks Brooks and Tari, how soon/late until Ime adjusts?

 

Yeah he does. Interestingly it's more potent that Dillon or Alpi who both have that same trait (Jabari has it to a lesser extent but only if you go at him first, or make the mistake of patting his head like that time against ATL) because with Amen he actually has the physical tools to bully. With Dillon he'll fight and scrap and go at everybody but he's a regular enforcer (a very good one, but a regular one.) Alpi (and to a lesser degree Bari) is one of those players where you piss him off and he gets better as a player, like that drive makes him better in the moment. Amen though is so much faster and stronger than everybody else that if you push him he can and will exert his will over you. That makes him a lot more intimidating I think, and I'm sure the players feel the same.

 

If Amen is allowed to play defense we will win this series. I have my doubts. Ime needs to coach Amen and Sengun up to not take the bait if it comes to wrestling matches with Donkey. Kerr would gladly sacrifice Donkey to get Amen or Alpi out of the game. Nobody on our team can guard Curry except Amen.

I expect the league to insure that he and Dillon are in constant foul trouble. They rigged Yao Ming out of the game, got caught at it, and then fined our coach for calling them out. They allowed Golden State to undercut our 3 pointers to the point that we went 0-27. That was the year the rule was introduced, just didn’t get enforced in the GSW/Rockets series. Do you think if we had a similar strategy against Curry that it would be allowed? Of course not. In fact, I would expect a flagrant 2 and ejection of whatever Rocket did it.

We beat Curry and the Warriors by employing a strategy of holding him off the ball in what was supposed to be a preview of playoff allowed defense. It won’t happen again, especially on the road.

 

In all honesty it'd almost be worth sacrificing Brooks for the series and letting him just go at Donkey whilst everybody else has to stay out of it. let them fight it out whilst we beat the rest of their team. If he even steps to Amen then a benchwarmer needs to be ready to jump in and take that heat for the team. You're right, regardless of what Alpi and Jalen do, Amen's our key for locking down that shimmying little prick, that's the game plan.