During the 2024–25 Western Conference 1st round, the seeds of a feud were planted. The Houston Rockets, led by their young core, were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in a heated 7-game-series that featured constant disputes over physical play and foul calls. Houston felt the whistles favored Golden State; Golden State believed the Rockets lacked the grit to match them. That tension never truly disappeared; it just went quiet.

But not for long. On August 18, 2025, Rockets center Alperen Sengun reignited the conversation on a podcast, saying the Warriors were “ a very experienced team ” who fouled frequently without being called for it and “ cried all series about fouls not being called .” His words reopened wounds that had barely started to heal. Two days later, Warriors forwar

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