The coaching gap is enormous, with the Rockets still being completely dominated by the Warriors.

Without Curry, Butler, Porzingis, or Moody, this Warriors squad managed to beat the Houston Rockets today. It was a comprehensive victory; except for some brief resistance in the third and fourth quarters, the Warriors dominated the Rockets throughout, who had no answer at all.

If Sheppard hadn't knocked down three three-pointers in the fourth quarter, the game wouldn't have reached overtime. Today, Sheppard continued his hot shooting from the season opener against the Warriors, going 14 for 11 at one point and scoring 27 points, looking completely out of place on this offensively-struggling Rockets team.

In overtime, Sheppard hit another three-pointer. For the game, he shot 19 for 12, including 12 for 6 from deep, finishing with 30 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists. In two games against the Warriors this season, Sheppard is averaging 30.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. Yet, despite this, he still hasn't earned a starting spot.

The key is that Sheppard started the previous two games, but today against the Warriors, Udoka demoted him to the bench again. The result was the Rockets falling behind early, with no one in the starting lineup besides Durant able to hit a three-pointer. Jalen Green's three-point percentage is 36.8%, and Eason's is over 42%, but today the two combined to go 1 for 8 from beyond the arc.

Sometimes evaluating a player's three-point ability can't just be about percentage. Eason appears to be a good shooter, but when the whole team struggles like today, his shot disappears too. Right now, the Rockets only have two players who can combine volume and efficiency from three: Durant and Sheppard.

So in today's game, Sheppard ended up playing over ten consecutive minutes and couldn't come off the floor because the offense stalled whenever he did. The whole world knows Sheppard's defense is poor, but shouldn't this Rockets team prioritize offense more right now?

Look at who the Warriors had today: Draymond, whom everyone criticizes; Horford, nearly 40 years old; Podziemski, whom even their own fans don't rate highly; and three two-way contract players on the bench. Yet this group thoroughly outplayed the Rockets.

The Rockets' sheer talent far surpasses this Warriors roster. In the final quarter, Sheppard caught fire and Sengun scored 7 straight points, giving the Rockets a brief lead, only to be dragged into overtime by the Warriors. Jalen Green even lost the jump ball to Horford.

Overtime turned into a coaching slaughterhouse, with Kerr dominating Udoka at every turn—every timeout, every substitution after a dead ball was a masterclass. With 1:11 left and down 4, Udoka subbed out Sengun for no apparent reason, which led to Horford scoring an easy basket on a mismatch the very next possession.

With 29.9 seconds left and down 3, Durant drew a foul on a three-point attempt. Having made 27 consecutive free throws prior, he missed the most crucial one. During the free throws, Udoka could have put Sengun back in but didn't, resulting in the Rockets giving up two offensive rebounds and a Melton putback, keeping the deficit at three.

With 5.3 seconds left and needing a three, Udoka finally brought Sengun back in. Draymond immediately fouled to prevent a three-point attempt. Durant, exhausted from playing 41 minutes and being hounded by Draymond all game, missed the first free throw. On the second, he tried to miss intentionally but it banked in—a cruel twist of fate.

With 4.2 seconds left, the Warriors inbounded the ball, and the Rockets couldn't even foul, getting toyed with by Horford and Draymond's passing. On that play, when Horford first caught the ball, there wasn't a single Rocket defender near him; a series of Warrior screens completely confused Houston's players, leaving Durant, who was defending the inbound, to scramble out to Horford.

The clock was down to a mere 0.1 seconds when Draymond threw the ball off Durant's leg to end the game. Poor rotation management, terrible substitution timing, and awful tactical decisions—Udoka was completely outcoached by Kerr today.

In today's game, Podziemski led the Warriors with 26 points, but Draymond was arguably the team's true MVP. He finished 6 for 4 from the field, 3 for 1 from three, with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and only 1 turnover.

Draymond hounded Durant all game, denying him the ball, contesting every shot, and applying physical pressure, holding Durant to just 16 attempts and 8 makes. On offense, Draymond's screens looked prime again, making Podziemski look like Curry. After holding back for over two months, Draymond saved his best game of the season for his favorite matchup against Durant.

After the game, Kerr added another layer of salt, saying, "This is a great arena for us, with a lot of great memories in the locker room." Back then, Harden and Paul were suppressed by Durant and Curry; now, when the Rockets finally have the stronger roster on paper, the head coach has become the biggest gap.

Last year, the Rockets gave Udoka a six-year, $66 million extension. All I can say is, there's a long road ahead—better get used to the grind.