Despite a key win against the Golden State Warriors to regain home court advantage, Houston Rockets star James Harden has remained poised, now a seasoned postseason veteran.
“He realizes that this is an unbelievable opportunity that we cannot let pass us,” one Rockets source told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “He knows it’s one game, regardless to a win or a loss. He’s totally locked into this series. He’s business like I’ve never seen before. It’s the maturation of James Harden.”
The Rockets had just taken the proverbial haymaker in the mouth, a 41-point loss to the Golden State Warriors in their first game at Oracle Arena since the season-opener down-to-the-wire win.
But neither Harden or his teammates panicked, knowing it was only a matter of time before they bounced back.
“We’ve been doing it all year long,” Harden said. “That’s the main reason we’re in this position we’re in today. That third game was just one loss. We all know what that is. We’ve got the mentality that we’re going to win Game 4.”
The Rockets did bounce back and proved to themselves they can withstand some of the Warriors' best punches, even on the road.
First, they overcame a 12-0 deficit to start the first quarter, only to pull even and move ahead in the second quarter, sporting a 53-46 lead by halftime.
The an expected third quarter run came along, with Stephen Curry burying a plethora of 3-pointers, only to stay the course and respond to each shot.
”We just kept playing… ,” his frontcourt teammate Chris Paul said. “We knew over the course of the game that at some point we were going to score. So, when it did happen, we tried to get some stops. When they made their push in the third quarter, you just know at some point they’re going to do it. They’re capable of it, but we are too. So, at the end of the day we keep saying it game in and game out, it’s who does what they do better than the other team.”
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