When Fred VanVleet left the Toronto Raptors after seven years and a championship in 2023 to join the Houston Rockets, he did so to become the veteran leader of a young, rising team in the Western Conference.

After the game, many NBA fans had the same reaction to VanVleet's unexpected surge, comparing him to some of the league's greats. Many fans noted similarities between another star player who refused to flinch in the face of a 3-1 playoff deficit to the Warriors.

The curtains only just closed on the Houston Rockets' 2024-25 NBA season, but the team's first-round playoff loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday officially commenced an intriguing offseason. The Rockets kept their roster intact at the trade deadline this season en route to earning a playoff berth as the West's No.