Houston Rockets combo guard Austin Rivers says James Harden and Chris Paul never had beef and the media fabricated it.
Multiple media outlets reported Harden and Paul had a verbal back-and-forth after the Rockets were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the 2019 playoffs and the two All-Stars didn't like playing with each other.
Rivers says the media tarnished a relationship which wasn't bad in the first place. The Rockets traded Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade.
Austin Rivers said the Harden-Paul beef never happened and was fabricated by the media: "That was bullsh*t whoever started that. Somebody ended up tarnishing a relationship that wasn't tarnished. That goes to show you how much power media does have." https://t.co/Sa0n9pS0XO
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) July 18, 2019
Chris Paul supposedly wanted more ball movement on offense, while James Harden was content with running the iso-heavy style Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni lets him play. We'll never know if Paul and Harden really had beef, as neither star is going to admit it. We'll just have to take Austin Rivers' word for it.
The Rockets are now title contenders with Russell Westbrook in the fold next to Harden. Houston also signed former Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler as Clint Capela's backup.
Rivers, who signed a two-year, $4.54 million contract to return to the Rockets, will play the same role he did in 2018-19. The guard will be a microwave scorer off the bench.
Follow Us
Subscribe