The Rockets’ 116-108 victory Saturday against the Golden State Warriors gave them the regular-season series against the team that has Houston wants: an NBA title. Taking said series does not a champion make, of course, but it gave Houston another measure of confidence in a season in which it is aiming for its first NBA Finals berth since 1995. And when the Rockets have Chris Paul, James Harden and Clint Capela in the lineup, they’ve looked more than solid, compiling a 17-0 mark in such games.
In an interview with The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears, Harden said he is feeling particularly confident about the state of the Rockets and their chances this season. While the Warriors remain the prohibitive favorites to reach the championship stage again, that win Sunday did much for Houston’s confidence going forward.
“We’re for real, for real. We are for real as it can get,” Harden told The Undefeated. “I have never been this confident playing in my entire career, not only by adding Chris [Paul] but the rest of our team. We have a team with depth that at any moment can impact the game. We just got to stay locked in the rest of the season.”
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The Rockets are 17-0 when Harden, Paul and Capela have played this season and 15-12 when one is missing. Two of those wins as a healthy trio have come against Golden State. Harden missed seven games to a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and Paul missed 17 with knee and adductor problems. The trio combined for 73 points on Jan. 20.
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Harden and Paul not only are feared scorers, they both play point guard and make every teammate better offensively. Harden is a 3-point threat and Barry Sanders-like with the basketball in the lane en route to his pretty layups. Paul’s passing this season would make Magic Johnson and John Stockton proud. Capela, a budding 2018 NBA Most Improved Player candidate, gets easy dunks and layups and lots of free throw attempts as a beneficiary of playing with Harden and Paul.
“We’re just so confident. Confident that we can work well together,” Harden said of the trio.
Said Capela: “They make the game so much easier. Whenever I get the ball, I feel good. I feel more confidence with both of them.”
Capela said after the Rockets’ win on Saturday that “we are better than them,” and even Warriors forward Kevin Durant could notice a change in the Rockets — and not just because Paul is in the mix now. It is a trait Rockets guard Eric Gordon has noticed as well, too.
“We’re deep. We can score with the best of them,” Gordon told The Undefeated. “And all we have to do is just have an attitude that whoever we play we have to have the desire to win like we had [Saturday]. And we will have a chance to win. We really do have a legit chance.”
“It’s more than just C.P. They’re doing a great job meshing together,” Durant told reporters Saturday.
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