Harden has plans to put a Rocket up Warriors

Houston Rockets @ Golden State Warriors

JAMES HARDEN is the the beard to be feared as Golden State battle to successfully defend their title.

The Houston Rockets guard is one of three finalists in this season’s MVP award, and Harden showed why against the Warriors in game two of their Western Conference final series.

Harden’s 27 points and 10 rebounds led the Rockets to a 127-105 victory to level the bestof-seven series at 1-1.

Tonight they go to Oakland where the Warriors are unbeaten in their last 15 playoff games.

However, the last time Houston played on Golden State’s court in October, they won a thriller, 122-121 – and Harden is out for a repeat performance tonight.

He said: “A lot has been going on since then. But as long as we take those same principles and that mindset that we have, no matter where we play, we’ll be pretty good.”

Harden knows that Houston have got the momentum now, but that they will still have to go all-out or risk being crushed, as they were in game one.

He added: “We know we’re more than capable of it. We’ve just got to go out there and do it every possession.”

The Rockets’ Trevor Ariza weighed in with 19 points in game two and relishes playing the Warriors and their fans. Ariza said: “It’s definitely a great place to play. Their fans are great. They bring a lot of energy to the game.

“At this point there’s nothing like playing in that type of environment and trying to silence them,” Ariza added.