USA Today via Reuters
Dec 26, 2020; Portland, Oregon, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 26, 2020; Portland, Oregon, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Rockets aren’t in a comfortable position in the ongoing 2020/21 regular-season. The franchise has undergone a head coaching change, and the unsettling news around James Harden is still looming large. Houston takes on the Los Angeles Lakers in its next fixture, and HC Stephen Silas is quite confident about the #1 player on his team.
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Furthermore, he even let out information about how he’s preparing ‘The Beard’ for the upcoming fixture against the reigning champions.
Stephen Silas has figured out how the Lakers limit James Harden’s impact
James Harden has always been a superstar during the regular season, but the same can’t be said about his postseason performance. Moreover, the 3x Scoring Champion has career-averages of 26.8 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.9 rebounds against the Lakers, but the purple and gold largely limited his impact when they met in the 2020 payoffs.
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Harden started off the 2020 Eastern Conference Semi-Final series in bright fashion but was overpowered by the Lakers’ defense as they won four straight games to complete an emphatic victory.
But all these things are in the past and the Rockets are now into a new campaign. As for Harden, his new head coach is developing new methods to make his game fool-proof against the Lakers.
As per Rocket Wire’s Ben DuBose, Stephen Silas “studied what the Lakers did to James Harden in the playoffs (i.e. traps and doubles)” and has worked on “counters” ahead of the Rockets’ game versus the Lakers on Sunday.
Silas is plainly experimenting with his new game plans and is keen on improving with the results.
“As far as just making sure that we’re prepared for this first game tomorrow, we went through a bunch of situations that we’re gonna see, and we’ll have to make adjustments during the game. And then, watch the film and then make adjustments after the game,” the Rockets head coach added.
Also Read | Rockets’ Stephen Silas Rubbishes Reports of James Harden’s Lack of Effort
Harden admits the Rockets have a lot of work to do
The Houston Rockets are in a shaky position at the moment. The pandemic has played its part in making them stumble, but the team is now looking to bounce back with effect. At least that was the mood during their recent press availability.
As the big guns came out to face the media, James Harden was asked about the Rockets’ progress so far in the season, and the 31-year-old didn’t have the most positive of remarks.
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 28, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
“We have a lot of work to do. I think every team feels that way but for us, we’re behind because we haven’t had our entire team or an opportunity to work together very often. As long as we continue to find chemistry … we have a chance to do something special,” said Harden.
The Rockets are currently enduring a losing run, but they can overturn during the span of the 72-game season. As for their upcoming games, they have two doubleheaders back-to-back, one against the Lakers, and the other versus San Antonio Spurs.
Also Read | Rockets Legend’s Two-Word Reaction to James Harden’s Lackluster Performance Against Pacers
