Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (25) grabs a rebound as Stephen Curry, third from left, boxes out Houston Rockets’ Dillon Brooks (9) during the first half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series in Houston, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Amid that chatter, Houston forward Dillon Brooks--the Rockets' elbow-throwing answer to Green--told reporters, "I think the dirty player is Draymond, giving [Thompson] a little push. That's what regular basketball players do."

Some have questioned whether Houston's Amen Thompson is a dirty player after Warriors star Jimmy Butler III was injured in a scary fall during Game 2 when the Rockets guard took out the legs of the Golden State Warriors forward on a hard foul.