Warriors survive Rockets in Game 4; take commanding 3-1 lead over the #2 seed

Okay maybe THIS was the real game of the year.

Dub Nation, gather 'round. We just witnessed a masterpiece of playoff basketball at Chase Center, a 109-106 Warriors victory that featured all the elements we knew were coming. Like a basketball prophet reading the tea leaves, I saw this exact script unfolding before a single minute was played.

I knew the Fred VanVleet game was coming. I knew the Rockets were going to try to get Draymond Green ejected. I knew somebody other than Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler were going to have hit clutch shots. And I knew that Butler would have to force his will at somepoint and unleash Playoff Jimmy. This was inevitable, written in the stars the moment the playoff brackets were set.

Let’s start with Lil’ Frd. Because FVV is the same dude who torched us in the 2019 NBA Finals when all eyes were on Kawhi Leonard. Last night, the man carved up our defense for 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 8-for-12 from downtown. My PTSD from those Finals flashbacks was triggering hard.

FVV plays with that permanent chip on his shoulder – the undrafted, undersized guard who's been overlooked his entire career. Against the Golden Empire, these types always aim to make a statement. And statement made with his 5 threes in a quarter.

But here's the beautiful part: you can have your FVV game. We'll take the W. FVV, MTV, CTE, Warriors in five.

We also knew the "everyone hates Draymond" game was coming. It's practically a playoff tradition at this point.

The technical foul? Check. The flagrant foul? Check. Five personal fouls while screaming and gesticulating on the edge of ejection? Double check.

This has haunted so many playoff games in Warriors lore that we're practically numb to it now. Draymond danced along the razor's edge all night – getting into it with Tari Eason, having words with Coach Ime Udoka, nearly combusting after every whistle – and somehow stayed in the game long enough to make THE crucial defensive stop on Alperen Sengun with the game on the line.

Because that's the Draymond paradox – the same fire that almost gets him ejected is exactly what fuels his championship-level defense when it matters most.

At some point in every deep playoff run, your stars get neutralized and your supporting cast has to deliver. We knew that eventually, Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski were going to have to find a way to score when Steph, Jimmy, and Draymond were taken out of the picture.

Well, check and check.

Podziemski delivered a masterclass: 26 points on 9-for-18 shooting, 6-for-11 from deep. The rookie wasn't just making shots – he was making TIMELY shots, momentum-changers that silenced Houston runs.

And Hield's 15 points in 30 minutes were critical, especially with Coach Kerr's adjustment to insert him into the starting lineup. His plus-17 was a game-high, proving that sometimes the box score doesn't capture full impact.

These weren't just complementary performances – they were game-deciding ones. And they’re taking all the shots that Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole used to have

Finally, we got to see the real terror that is Playoff Jimmy, despite him limping up and down the court like an OG at Mosswood trying to win his fifth game in a row before he's gotta run to Boston Market and get dinner for his family of six.

The first half Jimmy? 4 points. Clearly hurting. Grimacing with every jog.

The second half Jimmy? TWENTY-THREE points and a perfect 12-for-12 from the stripe. He also secured the game sealing rebound to make sure the Rockets were snuffed out. Butler is the man who transforms in the playoffs like he's got a phone booth on the sidelines.

The Chase Center crowd was treated to the full Jimmy Butler playoff experience, including the defining moment of the series: Butler, grimacing through every step with his pelvic contusion, somehow summoning superhuman energy to chase down Brooks on a fast break and deliver a message foul that Brooks is probably still feeling this morning.

Brooks would miss both free throws afterward. The psychological damage was done.

THAT'S the game the Houston Rockets fans have to see their team lose. The #2 seed, for what?

After 82 regular season games, after all the talk about Coach Ime Udoka's culture change and their young core growing up, the Rockets find themselves down 3-1 to a Warriors team that had to fight through the play-in tournament.

The Rockets threw everything at the Warriors – physical play, trash talk, a monster game from Sengun (31 points, 10 rebounds), the VanVleet explosion – and it still wasn't enough.

Because championship DNA isn't just a catchy phrase. It's the difference between a team that knows how to win and a team that's still figuring it out.

As the series shifts back to Houston, the Rockets are left to ponder a devastating reality: sometimes, being good isn't good enough. Not when you're facing warriors who've been forged in the fires of six Finals appearances.

The Golden Empire strikes back. And the Rockets are running out of rockets.