The Houston Rockets reflect a Game 4 loss in the opening playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.
You have to feel the Houston Rockets. After a significant improvement in the regular season, which rose from 11th place in the West in 2023-24, Ime Udoka’s team finished as a second seed.
And their reward? A playoff match was held against the Golden State Warriors, who went on to compete in the play-in tournament.
The Warriors just moved to the 3-1 series lead after a 109-106 victory in Game 4, leaving the Rocket on the brink of elimination.
Houston Rockets head coach Idoka must lift his players ahead of the impending Game 5 matchup.
When asked about his feeling in the locker room at a post-match press conference, Udoka admits that the player is down, but is not out.
Udoka explained:
“The guys are down, but they were games we played well, one of four, wins in blowouts and the other games were one game many times.
Udoka admitted that the team’s future tasks will be simple, but the rockets must maintain focus. This has been a problem with the Golden State up until now.
Asking the player about his message, he replied. “Let’s go win. Let’s play the sound, the disciplined games, the full game. We don’t have these lulls that we had, or we either lose our leads, or they get a big lead and we have to go back and fight.
“It’s all good to show your path and your heart and fight, but I want to do what you’re trained to get up when you get the lead or don’t run them that way.”
Alperen Sengun played a big game for the Rocket in Game 4, scoring 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
His message reflects Udoka’s thoughts on his post-match message, commenting:
“Let them win our hearts and don’t let them go home and play more physically. The series isn’t over yet.”
The Rockets face long shots to advance, but they don’t want to be eliminated on Game 5’s home court. You need to push this series to Game 6.
After a year of progress, the playoff loss in the opening round of 4-1 intensifies the call for teams to pursue superstars in the offseason and move to the next level.