Paul Pierce Once Destroyed James Harden and the Rockets: “It’s Like a Harry Potter Story. It’s the Same Characters Every Year”

James Harden has been a superstar in the NBA for a long time, especially while playing for the Houston Rockets. During his tenure at Houston, he won 3 scoring titles and an MVP award for his performance in the 2017-18 season. He is one of those players who has taken the NBA by storm and is an inspiration to many.

Back in 2019, the Rockets hosted the Spurs in December in what would be a memorable comeback win for them. By playing some solid defense, they ended up giving just 35 points in the second half and make a 25 point comeback to win against the Spurs. After the game, former NBA star Paul Pierce sat down with Rachel Nichols and Zach Lowe to discuss the Rockets win.

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The Discussion on James Harden’s Rockets

Following the game, Paul Pierce spoke about how James Harden and the Rockets had a season similar to a Harry Potter story.

“It’s just the consistency. I mean, I don’t know. We’ve seen this before, we’ve seen the Rockets up and down. I mean, it’s like a Harry Potter story. We seein’ it, it’s the same characters every year,” said Pierce.

“I mean, you gave up 72 to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs aren’t scoring on anybody these days,” he explained.

Pierce went on to add that what was missing from the Rockets was strong playoff performance just like their regular season. And he was right. The Rockets that season would fall out in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual champions – The Los Angeles Lakers.

Comparing James Harden on the Rockets and the Nets

Prior to becoming the 3rd star of the Brooklyn Nets, the ‘Beard’ was the leader for the Rockets. There were several moments where he was not just a scorer but also a facilitator and a rebounder. Clearly, the Rockets made the best choice in acquiring Harden from OKC. However, despite all the things that he brought to the Rockets, what was lacking was a championship for Harden.

As it can be seen, James Harden has become more of a rebounder and a playmaker on the Nets as compared to being a scorer for the Rockets. This could be attributed to Kevin Durant’s absence due to injury and Kyrie Irving only playing away games for the Nets. His scoring for the Rockets is large, primarily because of the number of games he played for them, as well as being the sole offensive point of focus for the team. What is left is for Harden to win a title, and time alone can answer the question as to when that might happen.

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