Houston really wants to be a problem for Golden State.

 

Golden State Warriors v Houston RocketsPhoto by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images

The Golden State Warriors went into Charlotte and got a big win over the struggling Hornets to retain the 10th seed in the Western Conference’s race to the playoffs.

At this point, the Dubs are focused on making sure they force their way into the play-in tournament and survive the battles between the 7-10 seeds to earn the right to make the postseason.

And if there was ever incentive for these guys to get as locked in as they possibly can, it’s the upstart Houston Rockets are breathing down their neck to try and snatch that 10th seed away from the Golden Empire.

Now I know some folks in Dub Nation may feel like this team doesn’t deserve to be called na empire any longer, but seeing as though it was only two years ago that this squad won the championship, I find it hard to believe that there’s no remaining trophy mojo in this team’s DNA. VERY HARD TO BELIEVE INDEED.

But at the same time, I’ve never seen a team win a title by missing the playoffs, which the Warriors will absolutely do if they allow the Rockets to wolf them down in the standings.

Did you know the Rockets have won 11 straight games? Who the hell do they think they are, the Tracy McGrady/Yao Ming/Shane Battier Rockets that won 22 games back in the 2008 season?

When are these dudes gonna lose a damn game? Last night they took a clutch 101-100 victory over the Utah Jazz.

The Warriors have already beaten the Rockets twice this season, with their final battle coming up on April 4th. Let’s see how this all shakes out, shall we?