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Toyota Middle public deal with announcer Matt Thomas tried to make use of the identical tone and pleasure Wednesday evening when James Harden‘s flip got here up within the beginning lineup introductions as he did all through the earlier eight seasons.
The circumstances, after all, have been fairly completely different. So was the response from Houston Rockets followers, who greeted Harden with a combination of cheers and boos because the 2017-18 MVP returned to face his former workforce for the primary time since his request to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets was granted seven weeks in the past.
“So far as taking part in in Houston, plenty of blended feelings for the followers, however I knew that was going to occur,” Harden mentioned. “I simply needed to come back out right here and provides them a present.”
Harden succeeded with the type of spectacular efficiency that has been virtually routine for him since he joined the Nets. He had 29 factors, 10 rebounds and 14 assists to steer Brooklyn to a 132-114 win over the injury-ravaged Rockets, his eighth triple-double in 23 video games for the Nets, who enter the All-Star break having received 10 of their previous 11 video games.
It was the thirteenth straight loss for the Rockets, who have been restricted to eight obtainable gamers because the franchise’s longest shedding streak in 20 years was prolonged into the All-Star break.
“The best way we have been shedding, we undoubtedly do want a break to clear our minds, discover ourselves, attempt to get some guys wholesome, attempt to get a full workforce once more,” mentioned Rockets level guard John Wall, who scored 36 factors on 12-of-30 capturing in 41 minutes. “I do not know when the final time we had a full workforce. Tonight we went in with solely eight guys, however we did not cease preventing. We saved competing, we saved battling, and that is one factor you’ll be able to respect.”
A smattering of followers within the reduced-capacity crowd booed Harden each time he touched the ball early within the recreation, expressing their displeasure of Harden’s forcing the Rockets to commerce him, a divorce course of he has acknowledged grew to become extra tense and bitter than he would have preferred. Harden, who in line with Elias Sports activities Bureau analysis grew to become the sixth participant to publish a triple-double in his first recreation towards his former workforce, mentioned the boos did not impression him.
“As soon as I get on that court docket, it is simply attempting to win,” mentioned Harden, who was 10-of-15 from the ground. “I am not likely anxious about the rest. That was form of my feeling — win the sport and do no matter it takes to do what you have been doing. I wasn’t attempting to indicate off, wasn’t attempting to do something out of the atypical that I have never been doing.”
The Rockets as a corporation gave Harden a heat welcome again to Houston. He chatted with and hugged a number of Houston staffers and gamers earlier than and after the sport. A tribute video, that includes highlights from Harden’s eight seasons in Houston and his charitable acts in the neighborhood, performed through the first timeout of the sport.
“You possibly can inform it meant one thing to him,” Nets coach Steve Nash mentioned. “This place is particular for James. Houston means rather a lot to him — town, the group, what he achieved right here with this workforce. I do know it was a giant recreation for him. I am happy with the way in which he dealt with it.”
Harden mentioned he discovered “on the Web” on Tuesday that Rockets proprietor Tilman Fertitta plans to finally retire Harden’s No. 13 jersey and grasp it within the Toyota Middle rafters.
“My response was hopefully I did one thing proper. Clearly, I got here up wanting a championship, however the work on and off the court docket that [I] put in over these previous eight years was elite,” he mentioned. “I feel that is the one factor I did not do or did not accomplish, was a championship, which is troublesome to realize. However so far as bringing pleasure to this metropolis, taking good care of the followers on and off the court docket, is one thing I attempted to contribute, so hopefully that outweighs that [lack of a championship].”
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