Following their Game 1 loss to the Warriors, James Harden and the Houston Rockets did a fair amount of complaining about the officiating.
In the two days between Games 1 and 2 of their NBA playoff series, reports trickled out illustrating the lengths the Rockets had gone to complain to the NBA about the unfair whistle they believe they get when playing the Dubs.
Prior to Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith scorched Houston for their constant complaining.
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"They deserve our profound respect," Smith said of the Rockets. "But right now, the Golden State Warriors are in their heads. And they are too busy focused on the officiating, as opposed to making shots and getting on the court and saying 'no matter what the circumstances are we are going to handle our business against the two-time reigning defending NBA champions. We are tired of seeing them on top of that perch. We are going to knock them off. We are committed to taking them out.'
"Don't look for help from the official," Smith continued. "It's like a boxer pointing to the referee all the damn time while somebody is punching them in the face. Excuse me, if they punch you in the face, hit them back. Because if you don't hit them back, you are going to fall. It's just that simple with the Houston Rockets."
While the focus was on the players and not the officials during Game 2 on Tuesday night, the Rockets didn't fare much better, falling 115-109 to head back to Houston in an 0-2 series hole.
[RELATED: Warriors-Rockets is looking like a wrap, and in less than seven games]
While they say an NBA playoff series doesn't start until the road team wins, Smith is already throwing dirt on the Rockets' corpse.
The Warriors and Rockets will reconvene Saturday at Toyota Center for Game 3 if anyone is interested in watching a funeral.