‘I never doubted it’: James Harden returns to All-Star level

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Clippers guard James Harden will play in his 11th All-Star Game on Sunday in San Francisco. (Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

James Harden was happy to be back — but maybe not in this building in these back hallways.

Walking through the guts of the former Oracle Arena after his All-Star practice concluded, it was easy to think about the multiple playoff series that ended when his teams couldn’t get past Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

“I don’t like this place,” he said with a laugh.

Yet Saturday morning in Oakland was just a singular blip on Harden’s All-Star experience, one this year that signifies his return to being celebrated alongside the NBA’s best.

Harden will play in his 11th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, but it’ll be his first since 2022 and first as a Clipper.

“I never doubted it,” Harden told The Times. “… It was me just, you know, finally being healthy and getting back to my zone. Getting back to who I am and here I am.”

Read more: Dalton Knecht’s bizarre season takes another twist: All-Star showdown vs. LeBron is next

Ahead of Saturday night’s All-Star festivities, players often spoke about the roads they had to travel to make it to this game. For Harden, it was getting healthy. For his teammate and three-point contestant, Norman Powell, it was reinventing himself as a shooter, going from a 28.5% three-point mark in his third year in the league to 42.5% over his time with the Clippers.

“Honestly, I’m just taking it all in in stride,” Powell told The Times. “Last time I was even close to an All-Star event was in Toronto [in 2016 as a member of the Raptors]. Anytime there’s been a break. I’ve been going somewhere. But honestly, just everything to me is like wide eyes — a little kid just trying to understand how it all works.”

Powell was a little happier than Harden to be back inside the former Oracle Arena. He and Indiana All-Star Pascal Siakam were members of the Raptors team that beat the Warriors in the NBA Finals in the last NBA game played in the building.

“It was amazing,” Siakam said. “Great memories in here. I love this…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/never-doubted-james-harden-returns-230838331.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2025-02-15 23:08:00

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