D'Antoni fires back: Warriors 'obviously' don't take defense seriously either
After the Houston Rockets defeated the Golden State Warriors in Tuesday's season opener, Mike D'Antoni rubbed some salt in Draymond Green's wounds.
"Somebody said we don't take it seriously on defense. Well, obviously, they don't take it seriously either," D'Antoni told reporters following the 122-121 win at Oracle Arena, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen.
Related - Draymond dismisses Rockets: 'I don't know how serious they take defense'
That somebody was Green, who exited the contest following the third quarter after he suffered a knee strain, finishing with nine points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes. The Dubs were up by 13 when the reigning DPOY left, but coughed up the lead in his absence.
The Warriors boasted the second-best defensive rating last season, giving up 104.3 points per game. Meanwhile, the Rockets had the 18th-ranked defense, allowing 109.6 points per night.
Houston still finished with the third-best record in the NBA, but D'Antoni understands his club must improve defensively to contend for a championship.
"We won 55 last year. We'd like to win 60 or more," D'Antoni said Monday. "How can we do it? We know our defense has to get better. We're really working on that."
Related: D'Antoni guarantees Rockets' defense will improve
Though the Rockets didn't lock down the defending champs, who poured in 121 points on 53.8 shooting from the field and 53.5 from long range, they got stops when it mattered, limiting Golden State to 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting in the final frame.
They'll have another crack at putting forth a more consistent defensive effort Wednesday night when they visit the Sacramento Kings.