The Houston Rockets enjoyed a truly phenomenal NBA season, earning the No. 2 seed with an excellent young core before ultimately falling short in Game 7 to the experienced Golden State Warriors.
This is a team built to compete both now and in the future, with some key veterans they must bring back despite having some holes on the roster that must be addressed.
There was plenty of bad blood between these teams during the series, and it spilled over into the aftermath. In fact, Dillon Brooks seems to still be in Draymond Green's head based on new comments from the Warriors' defensive leader.
Draymond just went OFF on Dillon Brooks for not shaking any Warriors players’ hands after being eliminated 😳
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 6, 2025
"You a sucka... nobody on the court respects you"
(via @DraymondShow, @TheVolumeSports) pic.twitter.com/17PvJC6nYZ
Dillon Brooks is Obviously Still in Draymond Green's Head Despite Loss
Green came directly after Brooks in the latest episode of his "The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis" and didn't hold back. The two clearly dislike each other, and Green had a problem with Brooks refusing to shake Warriors players' hands after the 103-89 result.
"Dillon Brooks ran off the court. So, when I say you see what guys is made of, he ran off the court," Green said. "Ain't shake nobody up. You admitted you were trying to hurt Steph's hand. Which, fine by me, bro. I get it, we all get it when you hoop."
To Green's point, Brooks' antics make him popular when you're rooting for him but quite frustrating when you're not. Truthfully, that's exactly true for Green as well. Brooks made just three of his nine shots in Game 7, picking up three fouls with a pair of turnovers. It wasn't a good performance, yet Brooks is still one of the most important players on this roster and a reason the Rockets had so much success this year.
"If you're gonna be on that type of time, wear shades in the press conference, you going to be talking, you going to be Mr. Big Bad Wolf, don't lose and then not face the music," Green continued. "Don't be that guy. Because, again, you lose a lot of respect for guys in that moment."
Not that any of this probably bothers Brooks. He embraces being the villain and enjoys antagonizing opponents. With two years left on his contract, he'll remain on the team barring a surprise trade, which means he'll almost certainly see Green in a big moment again.
We'll see what happens next season, but the Rockets gave the Warriors all they could handle and nearly emerged victorious. They'll grow from this, and now Brooks has a new rival to salivate over all offseason.