The Warriors and the Rockets: May the more disciplined team win

In a testy matchup like this, keeping emotions in check might be almost as hard as keeping Curry in check. 

The difference in close games could be the points awarded via technical foul. Or, worse, the cost of an ejection. 

Brooks is known to try to get in the other team’s head by being a pest. Green plays mind games, too. Each team is capable of instigating.

Even the officiating requires some mental fortitude. Kerr has already begun lobbying the refs with public comments about how Curry gets roughed up off the ball, anticipating the Rockets playing a “they-can’t-call-it-every-time” game. 

No matter how tightly or loosely the refs call games, the Warriors can’t let them become a distraction.

When it comes to the Warriors, much of that falls on Green. After a tumultuous season last year that included multiple suspensions, Green has stayed out of the league office’s ire. But toward the end of the season, Green showed some more frequent flashes of frustration. Kerr said the four days off the Warriors earned by beating the Grizzlies could have a trickle-down effect on the center’s psyche. 

“The emotion and the energy Draymond has to put forth is incredibly draining,” Kerr said. “When he’s tired, when he’s fatigued, that’s when he’s most vulnerable, frankly. He knows that, he and I have talked about it. The rest and preparation that’s going into this, I think will help all of us be composed and poised, because that’s what it takes in the playoffs.”