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Rockets’ Mike D’Antoni reminds Warriors that DeMarcus Cousins will have to guard James Harden on switches

Mike D'Antoni

While many NBA fans are focusing on how the Golden State Warriors have “ruined” the league by signing DeMarcus Cousins, Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni is remaining positive. He knows that while the Warriors may have five All-Stars on their roster, he still has James Harden.

D’Antoni told SiriusXM NBA Radio:

“Great player, great individual talent — we’ve got all that. I’m not taking anything away from him. There’s two ways it could go. Either it fits, or it doesn’t fit. Obviously, in Houston we’re hoping it doesn’t fit. But we don’t know that. We’ll see how it plays out. I do know that he’s going to have to guard James Harden. I do know that. We’ll see how that works out. And just things like that. That’s why we concentrate on the positives.”

D’Antoni isn’t wrong. Of course, the Warriors look like a juggernaut and the Cousins signing only makes them even scarier, but he has James Harden in his back pocket. Harden is one of the toughest guys in the league to guard, especially when he gets mismatches with big men off of pick-and-roll action.

Perhaps the Rockets will try to get Cousins caught up in pick-and-roll switches that will put him one-on-one with Harden. Playing Harden one-on-one is never easy for anyone, let alone a center coming off a devastating Achilles injury.

The Warriors look unbeatable on paper, but then again, they were the overwhelming favorite last year and Houston took them to the brink.

It will be an uphill battle for D’Antoni and company against Golden State. But if anyone can figure out how to crack the Warriors, it could be D’Antoni.

The post Rockets’ Mike D’Antoni reminds Warriors that DeMarcus Cousins will have to guard James Harden on switches appeared first on ClutchPoints.

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