Draymond Green singled out Tari Eason for fierce criticism following the Houston Rockets’ chastening overtime home loss to the LA Lakers.
The Rockets looked like a team that lacked motivation as they fell 112-108 in Game 3 of the first-round series on Saturday. They were second-best all night and are now one loss away from being sent back home from the playoffs by the Lakers, a side led by a unit nobody expected to carry the load.
Tari Eason, who got his first start in the series with Kevin Durant missing Game 3 due to an ankle injury, struggled to produce anywhere close to the numbers he put up in the regular season. The 24-year-old forward scored the least among the starters with 5 points, shooting 2-of-9 from the field, including 0-of-4 from three-point range.
It’s safe to say that Draymond Green was not convinced by Eason’s performance and had some harsh words aimed at him.
“Tari Eason didn’t want to guard down the stretch. Unnecessary switches, and then the foul with a 5 second differential. Tough,” Green wrote on his Threads on Saturday.
Tari Eason’s mom also laid into his 5-point outing in explosive message
Tari Eason’s mom went a step further than Draymond Green as she lashed out at him strongly during the game and pulled no punches in a scathing message.
“Pass the motherf***ing goddamn son of a b**ch f**king goddamn f**king shit f**king ball f**king pass it to the f**king open f**king goddamn f**king man!!! I’m logging off. Enough,” she wrote on X.
There was a lot of pressure mounting on Eason going into this matchup, as he had a career-low 41.6% shooting this season while also averaging 10.5 points per game, slightly lower than last season despite playing 60 games and 34 as a starter. His defense has also not been up to the usual standard, as he was overwhelmed by the Lakers in transition.
Tari Eason won’t be counted on for regular offensive contributions. His struggles in addressing the most glaring issues in their otherwise impressive season have made this a tough learning curve for the youngster, who still has a lot to improve and prove.
While the Rockets hung around and even held a couple of leads, they weren’t able to keep up with the Lakers’ tempo for a full 48 minutes and overtime. The Rockets now find themselves in a precarious 3-0 hole, and Game 5 on Sunday will present an even bigger challenge as they try to get one back against the Lakers, who are without two key players in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
History is not on their side, as no team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 series deficit. They either find a way to win and live to fight another day, or they lose and their playoff season, which began with so much promise, comes to an end just a week after it began.
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