Harden predicts exciting battle vs Pacers

AFTER visiting the country twice, Houston Rockets’ top wingman James Harden said he already knows what to expect Thursday night when his team battles the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Global Games Philippines 2013.

“The energy level will be amazing,” said Harden in a brief interview. Harden has previously been to the Philippines twice, first playing in the Smart All Star Challenge in 2011 and in a recent NBA event.

With the brand new season less than a month away, Harden, along with the Rockets are working doubly hard to sharpen their skills as well as their cohesion on the floor especially with the recent addition of Dwight Howard.

“We have to get a feel for the game, with Dwight now playing for the Rockets. We have to get our chemistry going some more,” bared Harden who is coming off his finest season to date after getting traded from Oklahoma City to Houston. With top dog tag clearly on the Rockets team, Harden went on to average 25.9 points, 5.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds last season.

And from the sound of it, Harden will be coming into this season with a lot more fire and focus.

The left-handed, scruffy-bearded gunner also complemented the Pacers and hopes to be playing at the same level that the latter was playing at in the 2013 NBA Playoffs.

“The Pacers have been pretty good, competing at a high level, every single game and we want to get to that point. It’s not going to be easy. The harder we work, the better our chances of getting closer to that title,” said Harden. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio