The NBA has a way of manufacturing drama, but you can’t fake the genuine, high-octane dislike that has defined the Golden State Warriors and Rockets over the last decade. It wasn't just about winning games. It was a clash of religions. On one side, you had the Warriors' "Strength in Numbers" motion offense, a beautiful, dizzying whirl of off-ball screens and unselfishness. On the other, the Houston Rockets under Daryl Morey and Mike D'Antoni turned basketball into a cold, hard math equation—iso-heavy, three-point reliant, and relentlessly hunting the most efficient shot on the floor.
They hated each other.
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Honestly, that’s the only way to describe those playoff series in 2018 and 2019. It was a collision of styles that forced the rest of the league to change how they played. Even now, with James Harden long gone from Texas and the Warriors fighting to keep their dynasty’s pilot light flickering, a matchup between these two teams carries a certain weight. You see it in the way Draymond Green still talks about those Houston teams. You see it in how Rockets fans still bring up "The 27 Missed Threes" like it happened yesterday.
The Math That Almost Broke the Dynasty
The 2017-18 Rockets weren't just a good basketball team; they were a laboratory experiment designed specifically to kill the Golden State Warriors. Morey, the Rockets' GM at the time, was famously obsessed with beating the Dubs. He built a roster of "switchable" defenders—guys like P.J. Tucker, Trevor Ariza, and Luc Mbah a Moute—who could handle the Warriors' constant screening action without giving up an inch.
It worked. Sorta.
In the 2018 Western Conference Finals, the Rockets had the Warriors on the ropes. They were up 3-2. Chris Paul was playing some of the most disciplined basketball of his career. Then, the hamstring happened. CP3 went down, and the world watched one of the most statistically improbable collapses in sports history during Game 7.
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Missing 27 consecutive three-pointers is hard to do. If you tried to miss 27 in a row, you’d probably accidentally make one. But the Rockets, true to their "math-first" identity, kept firing. They refused to take mid-range jumpers because the data said those were bad shots. Golden State, led by Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, eventually just out-talented the system.
It’s a fascinating case study in the limits of analytics versus the chaos of human performance. The Warriors survived because they had the greatest collection of individual talent ever assembled, but the Rockets proved that a specific type of defensive versatility could actually make the Splash Brothers look human for stretches.
Different Eras, Same Friction
If you look at the current state of the Golden State Warriors and Rockets, the gap in the standings has fluctuated wildly, but the tension remains. The Rockets went through a brutal "ground zero" rebuild after the Harden era, stocking up on high-lottery picks like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun.
Golden State, meanwhile, has been trying to balance "two timelines"—a phrase that Warriors fans now mostly use as a punchline.
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Why the Young Rockets Scare Veteran Teams
Houston’s new identity under Ime Udoka is a far cry from the "Moreyball" era. They are gritty. They are loud. They play with a level of physicality that specifically bothers older, finesse-heavy teams.
- Alperen Sengun’s "Baby Jokic" passing game creates angles that traditional defenses struggle to track.
- Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore bring a level of raw, vertical athleticism that the aging Warriors core sometimes finds exhausting.
- Dillon Brooks exists almost entirely to annoy Stephen Curry.
The Warriors still have the championship DNA, obviously. Curry can still turn a 10-point deficit into a 5-point lead in about ninety seconds. But the margin for error has shrunk. When the Rockets play the Warriors now, it feels like a younger sibling finally realizing they’re taller and stronger than the older brother, even if the older brother still knows all the tricks to win the fight.
The Draymond Green Effect
You can't talk about these two teams without mentioning Draymond. To Rockets fans, he is the ultimate villain. To the Warriors, he's the heartbeat that keeps the defense from falling apart. In the late 2010s, Green’s ability to play "small-ball center" was the kryptonite to Houston’s interior offense. He could guard Clint Capela on one possession and switch onto James Harden the next.
That defensive versatility is what allowed the Warriors to survive the Rockets' onslaught. Even in 2026, the chess match between Green and Houston’s young bigs is the most interesting part of the game. It’s a battle of IQ versus twitch athleticism.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 2019 Series
The narrative is usually that the Warriors cruised once Kevin Durant went down with a calf injury in Game 5 of the 2019 Semi-Finals. That’s actually revisionist history. The Rockets had every opportunity to seize that series. Instead, Stephen Curry put on a clinic in the second half of Game 6—scoring 33 points after being scoreless in the first half—to close them out in Houston.
It was a demoralizing loss for the Rockets because it proved that even without KD, the "Original Three" of Curry, Thompson, and Green still had their number. It effectively ended the Harden/CP3 era in Houston. They traded Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook shortly after, a move that most analysts now agree was the beginning of the end for that version of the team.
Tactical Evolution: How They Play Today
Basketball has moved on, but the fingerprints of this rivalry are everywhere. The Rockets aren't shooting 50 threes a game anymore, and the Warriors aren't as reliant on the "Death Lineup" as they used to be.
- Pace and Space: Both teams still prioritize transition points, but Houston uses it to capitalize on their speed, while Golden State uses it to hunt for semi-transition threes.
- Defensive Schemes: Houston has adopted a very aggressive "no-middle" defense under Udoka, trying to force everything to the sidelines. Golden State still relies on a complex "read and react" system that requires every player to be on a string.
- The Center Position: The "death of the big man" was greatly exaggerated. The modern Rockets-Warriors games often hinge on how Trayce Jackson-Davis or Kevon Looney can handle the post-up threat of Sengun.
The Financial Stakes
It’s worth noting that these two franchises represent opposite ends of the NBA’s financial spectrum over the last few years. The Warriors have consistently paid the highest luxury tax bills in sports history to keep their core together. Joe Lacob has basically treated the tax apron as a suggestion rather than a rule.
The Rockets, under Tilman Fertitta, were much more conservative during their rebuild, shedding salary and accumulating assets. Now, Houston is in a position where they have to start paying their young stars, while the Warriors are looking for ways to duck under the "Second Apron" of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement without sacrificing their ability to compete. This financial reality will dictate the next five years of this matchup.
Historical Perspective: Before the Curry Era
It’s easy to forget that this rivalry didn’t start in 2015. Older fans remember the 90s, when the "Clutch City" Rockets led by Hakeem Olajuwon were the kings of the league while the Warriors were mostly a footnote. Or the "Run TMC" Warriors of the early 90s that were a blast to watch but couldn't get past the heavyweight contenders of the West.
The script flipped so hard in the 2010s that it’s difficult to remember a time when Houston was the steady powerhouse and Golden State was the chaotic underdog.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Fan
If you're watching a Warriors vs. Rockets game today, don't just watch the ball. The real game is happening in the corners and on the weak side.
- Watch the Off-Ball Movement: See how Houston’s young defenders navigate the "split cuts" that Golden State runs when the ball goes into the post. If the Rockets' defenders lose focus for even a second, Curry or Thompson will be open for a layup or a trey.
- Identify the "Switch": Notice how often the Rockets try to force Stephen Curry to guard their best scorer. It’s a strategy pioneered by the 2018 Rockets to tire Curry out on the defensive end so he has less energy for his Fourth Quarter heroics.
- Track the Rebounding: The Warriors are often undersized. If Houston is winning the offensive rebounding battle by a significant margin, they usually win the game, regardless of how many threes Curry makes.
- Monitor the Bench: In the current NBA, the Warriors' depth is their biggest question mark. Pay attention to the minutes when the starters are resting; that’s usually when the Rockets' "Young Core" makes their runs.
The Golden State Warriors and Rockets might not be meeting in the Conference Finals every year anymore, but the ghost of those battles still haunts the hardwood. Every time these teams meet, it’s a reminder of how high the stakes can get when two different philosophies of basketball refuse to blink. The rosters change, the coaches move on, but the fundamental friction of this matchup isn't going anywhere.
To stay ahead of how this matchup evolves, keep an eye on the Rockets' defensive rating in games against veteran backcourts; it's the best indicator of whether their young talent is finally ready to eclipse the legends of the previous generation. Also, track the Warriors' "points in the paint" when playing Houston—if they can't score inside, their perimeter game eventually becomes predictable and easier to choke out.