Chris Paul doesn’t talk to James Harden, but they aren’t enemies

“We don’t talk or communicate or nothing like that, but that’s all good and well,” Paul said of Harden. “I wish him the best.”

On Monday, Houston Rockets guard and MVP finalist James Harden addressed the subject of playing former co-star Chris Paul in a playoff series, noting that there was nothing personal about the matchup.

“I don’t ever take anything personal,” said Harden, who was asked about facing Paul in the playoffs. “I’m trying to win games, and I’m trying to win a playoff series. I take it one possession at a time, one game at a time.”

Later that day, Paul was asked how he views the relationship in an exclusive interview with TNT’s Chris Haynes. While “CP3” said that he and Harden no longer talk, he also said they aren’t enemies. His comments:

He’s not going to hit me [up] to tell my daughter ‘Happy birthday!’ today. We don’t talk or communicate or nothing like that, but that’s all good and well. I wish him the best in anything and everything he does.

That’s one thing I think people fail to realize, sometimes, in these situations. Sometimes you have teammates, and it is for that period of time. But that’s okay. You can wish each other well going forward. It doesn’t mean you have to be kumbaya, and it doesn’t mean you have to be enemies. At the end of the day, everybody’s got a life to live.

Early in the 2019 offseason, there were reports of friction between the All-Star guards during their second season together, Weeks later, Paul was traded to the Thunder in a blockbuster deal for Russell Westbrook.

But there haven’t been any signs of on-court animosity between Harden and Paul during the three Rockets-Thunder games in the 2019-20 regular season, and it doesn’t seem there will be in the playoffs, either. Judging by the pre-series comments, there may not be much of any reaction.

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By and large, the future Hall of Famers haven’t said much publicly regarding their relationship status. They’ve each been busy leading teams with identical 44-28 records — tied for No. 4 in the Western Conference.

Rockets veteran P.J. Tucker, who grew up as a childhood friend of Paul and played with him the last two seasons, said Monday that there could be some extra motivation to the series. Among his comments:

Knowing him, he wants this bad. I know [Chris] wants this bad. I know he’s on the other side and telling the guys what they’ve got to do, and kind of giving them our game plan. I know how competitive he is.

Tuesday’s Game 1 between the Rockets and Thunder tips off at 5:30 p.m. Central, with a national broadcast on TNT and a regional version (with Houston announcers) on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.

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