At first, Dwyane Wade gave credit where it was due. Heading into the Warriors-Rockets Playoff clash, he believed Golden State had the upper hand. Still, he didn’t hold back in applauding Houston’s rise this season. “I love what Houston has done… and it’s not disrespect to what they’ve done in the regular season,” Wade said on The NBA on TNT. More so, he tipped his hat to Ime Udoka, the man on the sideline. With a résumé that speaks for itself, Udoka has pushed the right buttons.
But then, the tone quickly changed once the conversation shifted from regular-season vibes to postseason urgency. Wade, never one to sugarcoat, spoke with the kind of clarity that only a Finals MVP could offer. “When you’re going against someone that has championship DNA like Golden State has—Draymond and, obviously, Steph has—you gotta bury them,” he warned. And just like that, the praise turned into a subtle reality check. Wade didn’t feel the Rockets were built for that moment. Not yet.
Now here’s where things got interesting. Wade admitted, “I just watched their last five minutes… they executed the game plan to perfection.” And he wasn’t lying. Golden State straight up outclassed Houston in the crunch time of Game 1, outscoring them 18–5 with Steph putting up 8 points like clockwork. Fast forward to now, the Dubs are up 3-2 in the series, and the talk is less about numbers and more about moments.
Speaking of moments, Draymond Green’s controversial foul was front and center. Chris Johnson pointed out on The Timeout, “the free throws have dropped. To get to the free throw line, bro, you got to earn it.” Wade followed that up with, “I don’t even know what you got to do to earn it.”
Aug 6, 2024; Paris, France; Dwyane Wade looks on at halftime between France and Canada in a men’s basketball quarterfinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena.
And just when it seemed done, co-hosts chimed in, “You got to get tackled, dwag.” Chris added, “You could ruin the moment by throwing him out.” Dwyane Wade, almost laughing, replied, “Draymond be trying.” So what is this incident they’re all hinting at?
Draymond Green’s foul controversy in the Warriors-Rockets Game 4
Draymond Green might’ve just saved the Warriors’ playoff hopes, but not without some serious ref talk along the way. The Warriors are now just one win away from booking a spot in the Western Conference semifinals after sneaking past the Rockets 109-106 in Game 4. But rewind to the second quarter, and Green could’ve been watching the rest from the locker room. Instead, he stayed in—and ended up forcing a huge miss from Alperen Şengün in the final 10 seconds. That one moment changed everything.
Naturally, in a series as physical and fiery as this one, Draymond’s name is never far from the chaos. With the score tied 36-all in the second quarter, he got into it after setting a hard screen on Amen Thompson. Things got messy fast. Dillon Brooks fouled Steph hard, Green shoved Brooks, and next thing you know, technical fouls are flying all over. “I got a technical tonight and there were guys way more aggressive than me,” Draymond said. “Yeah, that’s crazy.”
Then came another dust-up. This time, with 2:44 left in the half, Green and Tari Eason went after a loose ball. Green ended up on top of Eason—literally. Eason shoved his legs off, and things nearly exploded again. But Draymond had to stay calm. Everyone knew it. One more tech and he’s gone.
As the announcers pointed out, “Draymond, he can’t do anything,” and “The Rockets are opportunists… they’re trying to make it happen.” But Green? He didn’t bite. “They were trying to muddy the game up, but it’s fine,” he said. “We kept it pushing.”
And it paid off. Because in the final seconds, with five fouls already on him, Draymond locked in on Şengün and got the stop that sealed the deal.
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