Tari Eason comically references “The Warriors” movie ahead of high stakes game in West playoff picture

Tari Eason and the Houston Rockets are currently the hottest team in the NBA after winning 10 straight games. While the Rockets have been riding high, the Golden State Warriors must be feeling the heat. The two teams are embroiled in a close fight for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.

After the Rockets beat the OKC Thunder 132-126 in overtime on Wednesday, Tari Eason took to Instagram stories to let his emotions known. A scheduled game between the two teams on April 4 only adds to the high-octane drama. Eason captioned his story as:

“I know they not liking this!!!”

While the second-year forward is out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to treat a benign growth in his lower leg, he made his presence known by taunting the Warriors:

“Warriorrrrssss, come out to play! Yeah, just like that!”

Tari Eason’s style of calling out Golden State referenced the 1979 movie “The Warriors.”

The Houston Rockets last lost a game on March 6 against the LA Clippers. Since then, they have been on a tear, beating playoff-headed teams such as the Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers and OKC Thunder.

The Golden State Warriors hold on to the final play-in spot in the West, but just barely. They have won two in a row on the road and are now 38-34 for the season. Meanwhile, Houston is 37-35 and is just 1.0 game behind the Warriors.

While it might eventually come down to the April 4 game, both teams need to ensure they don’t lose any footing in the play-in race until then.

The Rockets play the Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves prior to that game. The Warriors, meanwhile, face the Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks.

Looking at the schedule, it’s clear that Houston has the tougher slate of games, especially against fellow Western Conference contenders Minnesota and Dallas. Both teams face the Mavericks, who are in a race themselves to get out of the play-in spots and finish within the top six.

What happened to Tari Eason?

Tari Eason’s life in the NBA got off to a perfect start as he played in all 82 games in the 2022-23 season. This season, however, has been a different story. He played in just 22 games before being ruled out for the rest of the season.

Houston coach Ime Udoka announced in early March that Eason would be out for four months because of a benign growth on his lower leg bone. While the growth pre-existed, a hit caused it to flare up. He underwent surgery on March 4.

Eason averaged 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 steals before being ruled out this season. He shot 46.6% from the floor, including 36.0% from the 3-point line.