The Houston Rockets (7-7) travel to Loud City tonight to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (11-4). This is not your regular Western Conference showdown. Tonight, James Harden and his beard head back to Oklahoma City for the first time since Sam Presti traded the dynamic two-guard last month.
Harden has not considered what it will be like when he steps on the floor to face his old team.
“To be honest, I don’t even know,” he said. “It’s gonna be a long day. It will be good to see some faces, old teammates and coaches and my family."
He explained further, “I’m on the road. I’m on the road trying to get a win. That’s no different than playing at Memphis or at Atlanta, whatever the case may be." “It’s another game,” he said.
While it may be another game for Harden, it will be a heartfelt game for all the Rockets, players and staff.
Following Tuesday’s victory over Toronto, the team flew to Minneapolis to attend the funeral service of head coach Kevin McHale’s daughter Sasha, who passed away after a battle with lupus.
Meanwhile, the Thunder have won five of their last six and have averaged 112.6 points during the stretch. On Monday, the Thunder led by 54 points in the third quarter before putting away Charlotte 114-69.
"We know we're a special team when we're sharing the ball, and that's one thing coach (Scott Brooks) has been talking about the last couple weeks," Martin told the team's official website. "Just keep on sharing the ball and trusting each other, and that's what we've been doing lately."
There will be no shortage of emotions tonight in Oklahoma City, and it should be a playoff-type atmosphere.
Game time: 8 PM ET (NBATV)
No comments:
Post a Comment