The Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets fought until the very end in their first-round matchup. And after seven games, the Bay emerged victorious, the fifth time in the Stephen Curry and Draymond Green era. But there was no malice. After such a hard-fought battle, the Warriors showed their respect. In doing so, Green actually went out of his way to squash beef with Tari Eason, a promising forward for Houston.
The young Rockets team had a lot to look up to this season. Despite their inexperience, they finished as the second seed and gave one of the hottest teams in the NBA a worthy fight. However, the loss was stinging. Eason was emotional after accepting their Game 7 fate.
Initially, he exited the floor without sharing a moment with the Warriors contingent. But because Green admires his zeal for the game, he wanted to teach the 23-year-old the right lessons. That meant putting his social media exchanges with Eason’s mother aside and speaking from his heart.
“I ended up catching him right before he was about to walk out the arena and he was walking this way, so he didn’t have to come by me. But in my distance, I could see him right there. I said to him, I like waved him down, and I went and I dapped him up. And that was kind of a little save, but don’t be that guy, man. You got to teach him,” he revealed on The Draymond Green Show.
Despite not knowing too much about Eason’s game, Green has actually praised the 23-year-old. “I got a lot of love for young fella because the way he go about his business, the way he play the game, I got a lot of love for him. Don’t be like that because you lose respect,” he said about the third-year forward.
Mar 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) gets back on defense against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
He believes the Rockets forward can mimic his role because of his energetic play style and contribution towards winning. Likewise, even though he may have collided with his mother off the court, Draymond Green wants to ensure Eason builds himself in the right way. That’s also because he understands such actions aren’t reversible in the eyes of competitors.
To explain, he took out the example of one of Tari Eason’s teammates who once again disappointed him.
Draymond Green shows no mercy to Dillon Brooks
Many may say that Brooks and Draymond Green play a similar role for their teams. They are the instigators who expend their energy on every play. But the four-time champion has regularly shown respect after great battles. In Brooks’ case, Green ties his behaviour back to his days with the Grizzlies. Then, when the Warriors and the Grizzlies developed a rivalry, the Canadian forward dismissed Green’s play style.
He also spoke about building a dynasty with the Grizzlies. Those comments shaped a certain reputation in Green’s mind. He called Dillon Brooks an “idiot” then. And after watching him handle the loss in a similar fashion to when the Grizzlies lost to the Lakers, Green felt that’s the reason peers don’t respect him.
“When I say you see what guys is made of, he ran off the court, like, ain’t shake nobody up… So if you’re gonna be on that type of time, wear shades in the press conference. You gotta be on that time all the time. You’re gonna be talking. You’re gonna be Mr. Big Bad Wolf. Don’t lose and then not face the music,” he said on his podcast.
He believes his mannerisms aren’t beneficial to a team trying to contend. But more importantly, Green didn’t want it to become a blueprint for some of the younger players on the Rockets. That’s the reason he reached out to Eason when he saw him outside the hardwood floor.
“When guys lose respect for you in this league, it don’t matter and it’s going to catch you in the end. Dillon Brooks couldn’t come through in this series, in large part because nobody on the court respects you,” Green continued in his scathing attack on Brooks. It made it clear that he doesn’t have much hope for the former Grizzlies forward.
But for Tari Eason, although not exactly a mentor, Green wants to contribute by sharing the right principles that will help him as his career progresses.
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