James Harden is one of the best players in the world. He has also been putting on a show in the bubble. Despite not having much to play for, Harden’s Houston Rockets have done well in the bubble and look to carry that form into their playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Harden spoke to the media from inside the NBA bubble about the Rockets’ fitness concerns ahead of the playoffs:

“We’ve dealt with adversity before. I missed the last game, D-House has missed a few games, Eric is just coming back and Russ is out. But we know how to fight through adversity. We just keep pushing forward and keep having each other’s back and competing on the floor”.

When asked about what he needs to do to compensate for Russ being injured, Harden said, “For me, nothing changes no matter who’s on the court. My aggressive mentality just happens no matter who’s on the floor. I think what we missed was his ability to get to the basket and draw defenders in to create opportunities for the rest of the team. Not only that though. D-House, Eric is getting back into rhythm, PJ didn’t play an entire game. It’s our entire group. When we’re fully healthy, which we were for the first few games, we’re a really dangerous team”.

James Harden carrying the Rockets without Russell Westbrook?

The Houston Rockets revealed that Westbrook has a sprained quad and will be unavailable for their last seeding game. His playoff status hasn’t been confirmed either, with the Rockets’ re-evaluating him before they give a timeline.

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Harden has struggled as the singular offensive focus in the playoffs before. Even when he had Chris Paul with him, Harden struggled to break out in the playoffs, being regularly stopped by the Golden State Warriors. Harden was also the recipient of ‘Dame Time’ early in his career as a Rocket. Westbrook added a much needed second dimension to their fast-paced offense, and him being gone is a big issue for the Rockets, as Westbrook is their leading scorer inside the paint.

James Harden will need to come up clutch in the playoffs if Westbrook is injured, otherwise, we may see OKC Thunder’s dream run this season extend by another series.