Draymond Green seemingly mocks Rockets as Steph Curry's Warriors record 5th straight playoff series win vs Houston

Steph Curry, Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors simply own the Houston Rockets in the postseason, clinching their fifth straight playoff series win over them since 2015 with a 103-89 Game 7 triumph on Sunday night.

After the win, Green, who has been a Warriors cornerstone since 2012, appeared to troll the Rockets by shouting repeatedly in the tunnel:

“Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!”

The Warriors entered the playoffs as the No. 7 seed without homecourt advantage, taking on the second-seeded Rockets. Game 7 was in Houston, and Green delivered his best outing of the series with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Golden State’s playoff dominance over Houston now stretches 10 years. They knocked out the Rockets in five games in back-to-back years, 2015 and 2016.

The Warriors eliminated them again in 2018, in a seven-game slugfest where Houston, led by James Harden and Chris Paul, infamously missed 27 straight 3s, and once more in 2019.

With the win, the Warriors now gear up for a second-round showdown against the Minnesota Timberwolves, another underdog squad that upset a higher seed in Round 1. The sixth-seeded Wolves advanced by eliminating the No. 2-seeded LA Lakers, led by LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

Golden State won the regular season series against Minnesota, 3-1.

Draymond Green continues streak of huge Game 7s in Sunday’s win vs Rockets

Draymond Green has long had a reputation as a “playoff riser.” While his impact often goes beyond the stat sheet, in Game 7s — like tonight — he consistently shows up big.

Across six career Game 7s, including Sunday’s win, Green now averages 16.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. That’s a notable bump from his overall playoff averages of 11.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 6.1 apg.

His first taste of Game 7 came in 2014 against the Clippers, where he dropped 24 points and grabbed seven boards — but the Warriors fell short.

In 2016, he played in two Game 7s. Against OKC in the West finals, he contributed 11 points and nine rebounds as the Warriors came back from a 3-1 hole to reach the Finals.

That year’s Finals versus the Cavaliers saw Green turn in his best-ever Game 7: 32 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in a heartbreaking loss that capped off Golden State’s historic 3-1 collapse.

Draymond Green had two more Game 7 appearances before tonight — putting up 10 points and 13 rebounds vs. Houston in 2018, and logging eight points, six boards and eight dimes against Sacramento in 2023.