Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors earned a spot in the first round of the NBA playoffs with a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament. The Houston Rockets don't have a premier superstar on the roster, but they finished with a 52-30 record and earned the second seed in the Western Conference.

Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney were part of the dynastic Warriors teams that beat Houston in four playoff series between 2015 and 2019. While Payton was not around for those storied series, he still has a tried and tested strategy for maintaining his cool if heated moments arise during the series.

The Rockets had been a doormat for the NBA for the past couple of seasons. After finishing no better than 11th in the past four seasons, Houston catapulted up the standings this year, winning their first Southwest Division title for the first time since 2020.