Udoka threatens the Warriors: "We thrive on chaos"

The Houston Rockets defeated the Golden State Warriors 109-94 in the second game of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs in a match more resembling a battle than a basketball duel. Six technical fouls, a flagrant foul type 1, shoving, a skirmish, and several chants of "F--- you, Draymond!" echoed in the Toyota Center. For Ime Udoka, the Rockets' coach, it was an ideal scenario.

"If it gets physical, we've seen over the last two years that it benefits us," stated Udoka. "It fires us up. But when you have an advantage, you're up by 20, and things start happening, you understand why. It's some teams' last resort. That's when you have to keep your composure and stay calm."

The spark that ignited the brawl came after a steal by Fred VanVleet that led to a layup by Jalen Green, putting the Rockets up by 19 points with just over five minutes on the clock. Immediately after, VanVleet and Draymond Green engaged in a heated argument in front of the home bench, leading players from both teams to intervene. In the midst of the turmoil, Tari Eason was penalized with a technical foul for throwing a towel.

"My emotions got the best of me," Eason admitted. "On the court, you have to keep it within the realm of basketball. I will improve for my team in that aspect. I know some of the players they have try to get to you mentally. And if you know the game, you know that 90% of it is mental."

Draymond Green, the epicenter of the chaos, downplayed the altercation with VanVleet: "We were just talking. Then everyone came over, surrounded us, and the shoving began." He also responded to the fans' chants: "It's not original. I've experienced it in Boston, we won a championship while that happened. So, it doesn't affect me. But come on, don't copy what others do."

The Warriors' coach, Steve Kerr, was more critical of the atmosphere in Houston: "Draymond has been in these situations his whole career. But I would prefer the fans to have a bit more judgment. He has kids, you know. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I think an 'F you' is crossing the line."

Despite the chaos, Udoka doesn't view that kind of environment unfavorably. Quite the opposite.

"It brings us together, it always does," he said. "It's our identity. We don't need to fake toughness or switch gears in the playoffs. We already have it. I like it, it's good for us, it defines us. Of course, except for the towel incident. I told Tari he needed to keep his composure; he wasn't even in the game. But that's who we are, everyone has embraced it. We feed off of it. You just have to know how to control it, especially when you're winning."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Udoka amenaza a los Warriors: "Nos alimentamos del caos"