SAN FRANCISCO – Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka has a habit of walking around every city he visits, and that routine continued Saturday prior to Game 3 of his team’s opening round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.
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“Very pleasant,” Udoka told reporters at Chase Center, drawing some laugher. “Honestly, wherever you go, you might have some hostility online and all this. But in person, nobody says anything. You’re not as brave in person.”
Hostilities have grown in the early stages of the Warriors-Rockets playoff series.
During Game 2, Rockets guard and East Bay native Amen Thompson unintentionally took out the legs of Jimmy Butler, causing the Warriors forward to leave the game after a hard fall. Butler, still on the mend, did not play in Saturday’s Game 3.
Some have debated whether Thompson’s play was dirty. But Thompson’s teammate, Dillon Brooks, shifted the focus back to the Warriors when asked about it Friday.
“No, I think the dirty player is Draymond (Green), giving him a little push as regular basketball players do,” Brooks said. “And Jimmy’s fighting in the air for a rebound and stuff happens. Amen’s not a dirty player. He has (nothing) to do with being a dirty player.”
Asked he thought Warriors fans might be hostile toward Thompson, a San Leandro native, Udoka said he’s expecting a raucous playoff atmosphere.
“Regardless of him being home or whatever, I think that’s what you get as an opponent, obviously in the playoffs, regardless,” Udoka said of the environment. “Unfortunate what happened, like I said, wasn’t intentional or anything. But with the bias and fans they are going to take that and run with it.”
Thompson had 11 points and three assists in the Warriors’ 109-94 win that leveled the series at one win apiece.
“(Thompson) reacted well. Like I said, we all know it’s unintentional. And he’ll just go about his business as usual. “But understanding what it’s going to be, I think he knows that, and nothing to be shocked by when it comes.”
In Game 2 on Wednesday, players from both teams received technical fouls in the second half and Houston’s Jalen Green received a flagrant foul when he flailed an arm into Green’s face.
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