Houston Rockets: We have a rival!

Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

If you have spent the off-season in search for a Houston Rockets rival, the Golden St. Warriors forward Draymond Green has ended your search. Green spoke to the Detroit Free Press about his rookie season and what he was looking forward to in his second year. When asked who he thought was his rival he responded:

Rival? Houston, after Green was tossed from a February game with the Rockets. He put a hard foul on Patrick Beverley to prevent Houston from setting a single-game three-pointer record, and jawing and the ejection ensued.

“It is what it is now,” Green, a Saginaw native and former Michigan State All-America forward who is entering his second season with the Golden State Warriors, said Saturday after some pickup basketball at Lansing Everett High. “They hate me. I dislike them.”

I was unaware the Rockets players hated the Golden St. Warriors. With the NBA schedule set to be released on Tuesday, the Rockets-Warriors game now has even more anticipation. The game Draymond Green is referring to is the 140-109 beat down the Rockets dealt to the Warriors. The Rockets tied the NBA record for most three-point field goals in a game with 25. Worth noting Green had 8 points in 16 minutes off the bench.

The Rockets hold the lead in head-to-head victories over the Warriors 116-80 and the teams have never met in the playoffs. Maybe this could be the year.

And for good measure here is that record-tying performance: