HOUSTON — James Harden had MVP moments repeatedly in the Houston Rockets’ rally from a 3-1 series deficit in the Western Conference semifinals, but he said there is no added motivation to take down Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors because of voting for that award.
“I just want to win,” Harden said Monday. “You’ve got to put the pressure on them.”
Harden, the runner-up to the Warriors point guard in the 2015 NBA MVP award voting, was 0-4 in the matchup this season, but can score a statement and then some by carrying Houston to the NBA Finals against Curry’s club starting Tuesday night in Game 1 at Oracle Arena.
“Momentum is a relative thing,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said of Houston’s epic rally to advance to the conference finals.
Curry has some personal momentum with his play in the postseason, the recent hardware awarded after receiving 100 of 130 first-place MVP votes and his success against Houston this season. Curry shot 62.3 percent from 3-point range in the four wins by an average of 15 points.
“We have to move our bodies on defense,” Harden said. “Our intensity, we have to pick it up another notch. (Sunday) is over. We’ve got to turn the page, we’ve got to be ready to go.”
The Warriors have not reached the NBA Finals since 1975, but rookie head coach Steve Kerr has the style and star power to lead Golden State to the title showcase. But it will be about more than containing the hot-shooting guards in this series.
Of the key questions facing Golden State is containing Dwight Howard, a renewed force on both ends of the court in the playoffs. The Warriors play small, push and win with a frenetic pace guided by Curry’s electric ball-handling and sweet, sudden release.
Harden finished with 31 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals in Sunday’s victory over the Clippers. His playoff scoring average of 26.3 percent is credit in large part to his ability to get to the free-throw line — 10.4 attempts per game.
Defensive player of the year and most improved player runner-up Draymond Green will see a lot of Harden, with whom he had a verbal spat during the regular season. Harden shout to teammates in a pregame huddle in January, “They ain’t that good,” and Green and the Warriors sent a strong message in response.
“It’s different in the playoffs. The playoffs are a different animal, they are,” Kerr said. “It’s fun. It’s why we play.”
While Houston led the NBA in 3-point attempts, the Warriors are among league leaders in defending the perimeter. In 10 playoff games this postseason, opponents are shooting below 30 percent from 3-point range against the Warriors.
“Regular season is the regular season, that’s what people have to understand,” said Rockets forward Josh Smith. “We’re a different team. We were still trying to jell, still trying to figure out what we needed to do. Now it’s all coming together.”