The Rockets' All-Star Alperen Sengun came under fire from Draymond Green and NBA fans after claiming the Warriors were crying for fouls during the Playoffs. The Warriors' veteran took to social media and clapped back at his comments with some cold responses.
Teroya Eason, the mother of another Rockets player, Tari Eason, saw this on social media and dropped a five-word response to Green's reaction to Alperen Sengun's comments.
"Oh Dear, now it’s war," she wrote on X.
Following the Rockets' first-round exit, Eason's mother gave Draymond Green his flowers. She claimed that he is the only reason the Warriors have four NBA championships since 2015.
But during the regular season and the Playoffs, Eason and his mother made their dislike for the Warriors very public. Eason faced a lot of backlash for his comments on the Warriors back then, and now it seems their rivalry will go to the next level of intensity.
The Rockets and the Warriors have had a lot of clashes over the last decade, where one could call it a rivalry in the Western Conference between elite teams led by James Harden and Stephen Curry, competing for the top seed and in the Playoffs.
Following Harden's exit, the Warriors dominated the matchup with the Rockets, winning 15 consecutive games. But in 2024-25, the Rockets finally broke that streak and even pushed their Playoff series to seven games.
These comments from Sengun are essentially a declaration that the Rockets are now once again ready to compete with the Warriors at an elite level after completing the rebuild successfully since Harden's exit.
In February 2025, Green, in an interview with Jamal Crawford, claimed that Tari Eason is the only player in the NBA who reminds him of himself.
"Tari Eason... I love that kid, man... From what I’ve seen of him, he can dribble the ball. He can shoot it OK, but you can get better at that. He’s a good athlete. He’s not a crazy, freak athlete, but he’s a good athlete."
"Great length, great size, rebounds the ball. He’s not soft at all. He’s not backing down from anything. Does the little things. ... Now, you’ve got him in the right situation.... I love his game, and I love what he brings to a team."
Tari Eason has played in 14 games against the Warriors in his career (including the Playoffs), where he averaged 10.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. He is now up for a contract extension with the Rockets and is expected to be a part of the Rockets' plans for their long-term future.
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