Stephen Curry-Tari Eason beef, explained: How classic movie reference added new layer to Warriors-Rockets rivalry

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It's been implicit 5 years since the Rockets and Warriors past met successful the NBA Playoffs. And portion immoderate of the biggest names successful Golden State remain, a caller harvest of endowment successful Houston has signaled the rivalry's renewal.

After a beardown decorativeness to the 2023-24 season, the Rockets person been 1 of the NBA's hottest teams to commencement the 2024-25 campaign. At the forefront of the resurgence are caput manager Ime Udoka, veterans Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet, and a young halfway featuring Tari Eason, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun., Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson.

With the veterans fueling them, Houston's young players are an openly assured group. Last season, that assurance got Eason progressive successful a feud with a fewer of Golden State's four-time champions.

It mightiness not beryllium the NBA Playoffs but the Rockets and Warriors rivalry enters a caller section erstwhile they conscionable successful the Quarterfinals of the 2024 NBA Cup. Here's however a classical movie fanned the flames of the rivalry's caller era.

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Stephen Curry-Tari Eason beef, explained

OK, truthful "beef" whitethorn beryllium a beardown connection here, but Eason's effort to troll the Warriors past play yet resulted successful an lawsuit of Curry's trademark pettiness.

During the season's last stretch, the Rockets utilized an 11-game triumph streak to travel within 1 game of the Warriors successful the Western Conference Play-In Tournament picture. While Eason was retired for the play pursuing limb surgery, helium showed helium was good alert of the postseason representation by posting a video of himself saying, "Warriors! Come retired to play!"

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 28, 2024

Eason's Instagram communicative was an homage to the cult classical 1979 movie "The Warriors." For context, The Warriors were a pack that served arsenic the protagonists of a movie featuring a ample fig of gangs successful New York City. After an incidental astatine the opening of the movie, The Warriors were connected the tally from each different pack successful the film.

Eason quotes a infinitesimal from the movie erstwhile a rival pack is connected The Warriors' heels. The rival gang's person taunts The Warriors by urging them to "come retired to play" portion utilizing his fingers to click 3 solid bottles together.

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One week later, Houston had cooled disconnected but had an accidental to get backmost connected way arsenic Golden State visited the Toyota Center. Eason doubled down by wearing a garment that said "Warriors travel retired to play" successful the film's trademark font.

Evidently, Curry took note.

As the Warriors were moving distant with a 23-point win, Curry called backmost to the country Eason referenced. After a 3-pointer from a teammate, Curry clicked 2 h2o bottles unneurotic portion celebrating connected the bench.

The Petty King is truthful backmost 😂💀 pic.twitter.com/60fGtCv8an

— Warriors connected NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 5, 2024

While Curry had amusive with Eason's effort to troll and Draymond Green had immoderate reservations astir it, Klay Thompson was not a fan.

"That's beauteous lame, particularly if you're not adjacent playing," Thompson said of Eason. "It's 1 happening if you are retired determination playing, retired determination competing and you tin backmost it up. But you're conscionable going to beryllium trolling from the sideline? What are you doing? The clip we speech smack, we're retired determination competing. That's each I person to accidental astir that."

Green sang somewhat of a antithetic tune, saying, "I emotion it [but] if you're going to accidental that, you got to play."

"You can't travel retired and accidental that and not play," Green continued. "Hopefully adjacent twelvemonth he'll accidental the aforesaid happening and we some won't beryllium warring for the play-in, we'll beryllium warring for the seeding."

Not adjacent a twelvemonth later, Eason and the Rockets volition beryllium warring Curry, Green and the Warriors for a travel to Las Vegas and a spot successful the NBA Cup Semifinals. Given the history, it's harmless to expect a battle.

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