James Harden ‘eager’ to bounce back with Brooklyn Nets before playoffs

James Harden ‘eager’ to bounce back with Brooklyn Nets before playoffs

James Harden against New York Knicks

Brooklyn Nets’ marquee scorer, James Harden has been out for almost a month due to hamstring injury. Yet he suggests that he is ‘confident’ to return before the playoffs to help his Brooklyn Nets bounce back after their recent slump in form. 

Coach Steve Nash previously said he was unsure whether Harden would be healthy enough to play before the first round. The Brooklyn Nets currently hold the No. 2 seed in the East, trailing the Philadelphia 76ers by two games. 

James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have played in just seven games together this season, but Harden said that his extended absence — the longest amount of time he has missed due to injury in his career — hasn’t changed his confidence in the Nets’ title chances. 

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James Harden ‘very confident’ to be fit before playoffs to join Brooklyn Nets 

The Brooklyn Nets have six regular-season games remaining, including Thursday night’s contest against the Dallas Mavericks, before the playoffs start May 22. James Harden, who has already been ruled out against the Mavericks, is traveling with the team. The former MVP did not rule out the possibility he could return on the current road trip. 

Harden last played on April 5 against the New York Knicks. Before that, he had missed two games with what the team called hamstring tightness. After playing four minutes against the Knicks, Harden left the game and had an MRI that revealed the strain. 

The Beard said he felt he was close to returning before he experienced a setback in his training on April 21. 

“We wanted to be patient,” Harden said. “As much as I love to hoop, I want to be out there, but you’ve got to be smart. And for me, it was just, ‘Let’s knock this thing out, let’s get this thing healthy so we can make a push.'” 

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