Inside The Rockets

Rockets React After Game 7 Loss vs. Warriors

The Houston Rockets aren't happy about losing to the Golden State Warriors.
Jeremy Brener|
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka yells during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors.
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka yells during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

In this story:

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are disappointed following a Game 7 loss to the Golden State Warriors that ended their season in the first round of the playoffs.

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka sounded off after the game, expressing his discontentment to seeing the team's season come to an end.

“A poor ending,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said following Houston’s 103-89 loss via The Athletic insider Kelly Iko.

“To play one of our worst games in the playoffs and in Game 7 — we had a few bad ones early and corrected ourselves on both sides of the ball. But to come out a little bit flat tonight, that’s going to leave a sour taste in our mouth for sure. The growth the guys have showed, you have the blueprint for where we want to be and it’s a standard on a yearly basis, but all of that doesn’t matter when you go out with a chance to move on and advance. Laid an egg in our last game; there’s sting from it.”

While there was disappointment, there was also some pride from the team's on-court leader in Fred VanVleet.

“I’m extremely proud of these guys,” VanVleet said via Iko.

“I look at all of these guys like my baby brothers, except they’re not babies anymore. They grew up a lot this year and made huge strides. Incredible regular season. It’s a tough way to end the season — it’s always tough, but only one team can win a championship. Heartbreaking loss, Game 7 can go either way and it wasn’t our best performance. But I’m not going to sum up the whole experience based on one night. I’m proud of everybody, the entire roster. One of my favorite seasons I’ve been a part of. Everybody should be excited about the future and what’s to come.”

Now, the Rockets will take that excitement for the future coupled with the disappointment of a premature exit to fuel what could potentially be another deep run next year for Houston.

Published
Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

Home/News