Unlike some of us who are anticipating the return of James Harden to his former glory in Oklahoma City, Harden himself, is just looking at this as another game.
“I’m on the road trying to get a win,” Harden said Tuesday. “That’s no different than when we played at Memphis or Atlanta or whatever the case may be.”
“To be honest, I don’t even know,” he said. “It will be good to see some faces, some old teammates and coaches. They’re all my family. I look forward to every single game I play. It’s just another game.”
According to Ultimate Rockets, guard Daequan Cook, who was traded along with Harden, thinks we will be seeing a more driven Harden this evening.
“He’s going to be in a different zone,” Cook said. “At the end of the day, if anybody knows, I know this game means a lot to him. He’s going to want to play his best basketball. This game means so much right now to him. You’re going to see a different mindset with him.
“It’s going to be crazy, man. Crazy emotional and very energetic on both sides of the floor for both teams.”
But the one person going into this game with a personal agenda is Thunder coach, Scott Brooks, who was traded in the second championship year by the Rockets in 1995.
“It’s not another game,” Brooks told media in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, playing with the notion of a reunion game for Harden, Kevin Martin and others in the trade. “I want to beat the Rockets. They traded me in the second championship year.
“It took me five years to get over Rudy Tomjanovich. Now we’re best buddies. But yeah, it’s still personal.”
Should be an interesting game tonight, don’t be surprised if Scott Brooks suits up to get his revenge.