HOUSTON – Ime Udoka’s pregame attempts to downplay the significance of Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinals didn’t sit well with the atmosphere at Toyota Center.

This wasn’t just another game.

For those no strangers to high-stakes competition — Udoka, who patrolled the sidelines in an NBA Finals as both an assistant and head coach, and the Golden State Warriors, the closest thing to a modern dynasty — there was nothing to admit say unusual for a game in mid-December. Udoka spent the early part of the evening focusing on his team’s performances during their recent road trip to the West Coast and glossed over the prospect of advancing in the tournament. Out on the field, Steph Curry paused his warmup for his best quarterback impersonation, laughing and setting up play moves with the staff – a glimpse of the relaxation the Warriors were feeling.

But the Rockets, who usually spend the hours before game time loosening up and cracking jokes, were silent in the library. Every seat in the arena was decorated with a red commemorative NBA Cup t-shirt, eerily reminiscent of the old days when meaningful games were held regularly in April and May. The boos from Houston fans erupted as soon as the first Warrior sneaker hit the hardwood — and continued every time Curry or Draymond Green did, well, anything.

This wasn’t just another game.

When Jalen Green saw the loose ball roll over the free-throw line with six seconds left in regulation and instinctively pounced, trying to fight Jonathan Kuminga and Kevon Looney for possession, it wasn’t about his 5-of-15 shooting performance – or anyone’s other. Udoka has said several times that he doesn’t care about shooting statistics. The result surpassed everything else, and in a one-point game a spot in the semifinals in Vegas was on the line. Golden State had won the last 15 meetings with Houston, long before Green’s time. And as the great American poet Kendrick Lamar said: He inherited the beef.

This wasn’t just another game.

“When you get a taste of victory, it comes from the other side,” Green said after Houston’s 91-90 win. “This is a team I haven’t been a part of for two or three years. You will do whatever it takes. So I saw the opportunity to dive on the ground and I took it. The results were amazing.”

The is who the Rockets are and what they have become. Forty-eight minutes of resilience, fortitude and faith.

Wednesday night was also a reminder of the potential dangers posed by inconsistent offenses – Houston managed just six three-pointers and turned the ball over 17 times. They rank 30th in assist rate, 23rd in three-pointers made and 27th in 3-point percentage, three red flags for a team that preaches the importance of spacing the court and represents a multi-dimensional, equal opportunity offensive.

Far too often, the Rockets’ lack of hierarchy on the court resulted in the ball being thrown to Alperen Şengün, who was asked to create something out of nothing. That the fourth-year major finished with 26 points on 10 of 16 shooting as well as 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals is a testament to his development as he followed Udoka’s advice to impose his will early and punish the Warriors’ lack of the Size. Houston faced another strong defensive unit in Golden State (fourth in defensive rating according to Cleaning the Glass) that gave the Rockets different looks and forced them to produce more offense from mid-range (36 percent) than from the perimeter (35 percent). to start. a rarity given their squad.

But even though this team lacks offense, Houston is a defensive behemoth – which is what fueled its 17-8 rise. In the 48 hours before the quarterfinals, Udoka and the coaching staff went through several Warriors sets and focused on Curry-centric moves. Houston forced three turnovers on Golden State’s first four possessions, a trend that manifested itself as the game progressed.

In some instances early in the fourth quarter, Udoka was unhappy with how the Rockets defended the Warriors’ split action, a staple of their offense designed to punish teams that pay too much attention to Curry and forget about their movers and cutters. But Houston managed to catch up and get back to communication and rotation. Curry finished the game with 19 points, but made 17 shots and missed six of his nine three-pointers. Any possession that got the former MVP and NBA champion past the 3-point line was a victory, as long as the shell behind it was intact. Before Jalen Green hit the game-winning free throws in the final seconds, Houston had held Golden State scoreless over the final three minutes – a climax where all factors came together.

The Warriors, who rank near the top 10 in ball retention, threw the ball up a whopping 22 times, eight of which were 24-second violations. Sophomore forward Amen Thompson said his brain is programmed to create offensive interference on the opponent when the buzzer sounds, signaling a shot clock violation; His body still thinks he has at least 10 seconds left of the ball.

Houston’s defensive stars – Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and Dillon Brooks – are all wired the same way. They are just as likely to get involved in an altercation as they are to stop in a timely manner. The Rockets are within striking distance of the NBA’s best defense, namely their NBA Cup semifinal opponent, the Oklahoma City Thunder. None of this is possible without embracing the defensive culture instilled by Brooks, Houston’s emotional leader alongside the leadership of Udoka and Fred VanVleet.

“The guys that came — me, Fred (VanVleet) and Ime — showed a different style of basketball and it’s fun to play,” Brooks said. “It’s contagious for the rest of the boys, even if they’re not that type of player. It shows that you can rely on your defense even when you don’t shoot the ball well, turn the ball over or miss plays.”

Udoka might have said this was just another regular season game, but his actions showed otherwise. He said there were good comparisons to a match from the 1990s given the physicality, low number of free throws and defense on both sides. But even beyond the NBA Cup, this was a dress rehearsal for how Houston might approach postseason play, assuming it stays on its current path. The rotation against Golden State was tightened to eight players, with veteran Aaron Holiday replacing rookie Reed Sheppard as backup point guard and Smith spending a significant portion of his minutes as a small-ball center.

“We will continue to fight and not give up,” said Udoka. “We got stops when we needed to, hit big throws when we needed to and got on the floor. I didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but…you can always rely on your defense when the shots aren’t falling.”

Sign up to receive The Bounce, the essential NBA newsletter from Zach Harper and The athletic one Staff, delivered free to your inbox.

(Photo of Jalen Green fighting for the ball with Jonathan Kuminga: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)