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OAKLAND, Calif. – James Harden, whose Houston Rockets have been eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in three of the last four games in the season, firmly believes that the fourth time will be different.
"We are a very confident group of men," Harden said before the Rockets training session at Oracle Arena on Saturday, a day before the West Conference semifinals' first game. "We are more than capable, we are excited about this opportunity, we know the challenges and challenges that will come this way, but we are prepared to solve them."
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The Rockets were not competitive in the final phase of the 2015 conference or the first round of 2016; they were eliminated by the Warriors in five games in both series.
But Houston pushed Golden State to seven games in the final round of last year's Western Conference, adding to the anticipation of the return leg this year.
"Of course, I feel good," Harden said after again facing the Warriors in the playoffs. "We have not been successful here, we have had a lot of opportunities but we have not won on the winning side yet, just another opportunity for us to change that."
Rockets chief executive Daryl Morey has not concealed his "obsession" with chasing the Warriors, which is essentially a recognition that Houston's title journey will have to go through Golden State.
Warrior coach Steve Kerr described the Rockets' focus on his team as "flattering."
This is the hour of the playoffs. Do not miss these games.
Sunday (HE hours)
• Celtics-Bucks | 13h | ABC
• Rockets-Warriors | 15:30. | ABC
Thursday
• Raptors-76ers | 20h | ESPN
"I admire what Houston has done in recent years: build its lineup, build its style and compete with us," said Kerr, whose team has lost three of the four regular-season games with the Rockets . "Obviously, last year's series was epic and very competitive, so I have great respect for what they've done, they're relentless, they're still attacking us, so we must be ready. "
Last season, the Rockets, the West's first top scorer with a 65-17 record from the NBA, took a 3-2 lead, but lost Chris Paul to a hamstring at the last minute of the fifth day. Half-time deficits at half-time in each of the next two games to eliminate the Rockets en route to their third title in four seasons.
Paul had very little interest in coming back on the disappointment of being forced to watch from the bench at the end of the Rockets season. He mocked the suggestion that he had the opportunity to deal with outstanding cases as a scenario of this series.
"Dude, I'm ready to play the first game," said Paul. "Know what I mean? I'm sorry, I'm not so dramatic about things like that. It's just that we are focused on preparing for the first game."
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