Rockets' Amen Thompson Explains Disdain Towards Warriors

The disdain between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors is rich. Especially on Houston's end.

Many Rockets players have bumped heads with Draymond Green over the last decade, and even a player's mom joined the fray, as Tari Eason's mom has taken shots at the longtime Warriors forward. 

Regardless of the characters and personnel, it seems there will always be a beef. Take Dillon Brooks, for example -- the former Rockets wing.

He only played two years in Houston but was involved in multiple altercations when the two teams squared off in the opening round of the playoffs. Par for the course for him, but the point still stands. 

People join the Rockets and seemingly develop a dislike towards Golden State. 

Or maybe it existed all along, as in the case of Rockets third-year prospect Amen Thompson.

"I was a LeBron fan, I'm not gonna lie," Thompson said on The Young Man and the Three. "I didn't dislike the Warriors — I actually liked the Warriors, until they had to start playing LeBron. And then I'm like, 'Okay, now I hate the Warriors.' "

Thompson states that the Warriors battles against the Cleveland Cavaliers changed his opinion on the Warriors. The two teams faced one another in the NBA Finals in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. 

Golden State went 3-1, with the Cavaliers winning only in 2016. Interestingly enough, the Warriors were up 3-1 in that series but allowed Cleveland to come back, which was aided by Draymond Green's suspension in Game 5. 

That defeat prompted the Warriors to sign Kevin Durant in the offseason, and Golden State ran the tables in each of the next two seasons. The 2017 Finals series wasn't exactly close between the Warriors and James' Cavs, as the Warriors won 4-1.

The 2018 Finals were even more reason for Thompson to dislike the Warriors, as they swept Cleveland altogether. 

The Rockets tried luring James to Houston in the following offseason, in attempts of forming a Big Three centered around James Harden, Chris Paul, and James, but James wasn't interested. 

In fact, he didn't even grant Houston a free agent meeting that summer and ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Durant left Golden State the following season, joining the Brooklyn Nets after the Warriors were defeated in the 2019 Finals by the Toronto Raptors, who were led by Kawhi Leonard.