A welcome lee of young kids 21 basically gave me the key to the city.

Okay, but you got your rhythm going now.

Fear the beard.

Scotch.

I'm watching this guy play.

James Harden gets buckets, literally done.

Everything that I can.

It's crazy.

It's something that I don't think we fix.

So thanks.

Welcome to Brooklyn.

Mhm.

He's got a triple double in his next debut.

Mhm.

Yeah, a fresh start for me to go out there and have a chance to compete at the title.

Mhm.

That is right, folks.

We got the Nets headed to Houston to take on the Rockets.

And to talk about this matchup, we have to welcome in our resident Houstonian big perk to talk about this game and park.

This is a big deal, mostly because James Harden is returning to Houston after eight seasons there.

Obviously, he's in Brooklyn now, and there will be about 4000 fans in the game tonight.

Big deal for both the beard and the fans.

How do you think they're gonna take this matchup?

Well, first of all, look, I'm happy to be back on with my heartstrings family.

I feel I have a dress code.

I don't know what, like I was heading to Sunday service First Street Baptist Church.

That's the first thing.

Okay, but look, I tell you what.

Every fan in the stands need to be up on their feet, giving James Harden a round of applause and a standing ovation, because this man has done something for this city on and off the court like no other Rocket has done except for Kim Elijah one.

And yes, I know he didn't deliver a championship.

But James Harden what he's done outside of basketball, doing so much for the community being heavily invested in community, still doing things around the Houston area for kids and the less fortunate has been phenomenal and still lives a great thing.

What he's done on the court, delivering MVPs individual accolades three times scoring champion.

You're taking them the multiple Western Conference finals, giving them life, bringing Clutch City back to H Town.

So I expect every fan to be on their feet, giving this man a round of applause and listen.

I know it was a bad breakup, and I get it.

Some things just don't end the way that you want to, but you do have to show the respect of what James Harden brought to the table while he was in the Houston Rockets uniform.

And so now he takes that basketball acumen out to the East Coast to be specific out in Brooklyn, and they have found their stride in the last 10 games, winning nine of those.

And by the way, Katie ain't been reported a lot of that stuff.

So what has been the key to success for the Nets?

Well, it's been James Harden right now.

He's the best player in the N B A.

I can't find another player.

That's that's playing better than James Harden for is what he's doing.

If you look across the board, he's only averaging 20 points.

And, yes, I said only because we used to him putting up 30 plus.

But he's averaging a career high 11.4 assists, a career high rebound, and he's shooting a career high 48% from the field.

But the most important thing that James Harden did for this Brooklyn this team is he came in and he identified the word sacrifice and then trickled on down the Kyrie Irving.

And now we're witnessing Kyrie Irving Urban sacrifice to get others involved like Brown and Joe Harrison Claxton and DeAndre Jordan and Jeff Green.

And when those others get involved offensively and get touches now they feel like they're involved in the game, and now they want to play defense.

That's why you have seen these numbers defensively for the Brooklyn Nets.

Go up.

And this is why they're winning games now.

Oh, yeah, and by the way, they're getting Kevin Durant back after the All Star break, still trying to get that leg right.

So, Perk.

I understand that they have scores at an unbelievable clip.

But what are the adjustments that hardened specifically is going to have to make when Kevin Durant, the de facto number one score and I think you called him the best score in the league before, comes back and assumes that role?

What are those adjustments?

Well, it's not hard when you have a guy like Katie who's sufficient score, probably the most efficient score in league history.

He's the best score that ever touched the damn basketball, so he's not going to have a problem with fitting in because he's a guy that could get you 30 points on 18 shots.

Katie showed us that he could match with other stars when he went played with Golden State with Clay Thompson and Stephen Curry.

So Katie is watching from the outside and and the thing about Kevin Durant is that he's been around long enough.

He's won everything that he needed to do individually for us, winning MVPs.

He's won his share championships, and what he's gonna do is he's going to come back and he's going to fit in.

He has no choice because they're winning games.

And what I mean by fitting in is that that he's gonna fall right into the ball movement and he's gonna be that defender that they're missing.

A lot of people don't give Kevin Durant the credit that he that he do, that he's that he deserved on the defensive end.

And it's not fair because to me, he's one of the elite wing defenders that we have in the game today.

Now, when we talk about the success from Brooklyn, we should also talk about the lack of success for Houston.

They've lost nine straight, obviously less than ideal, and you couple that with the fact that was reported that Victor Oladipo had turned down the $45.2 million extension over the course of two years.

It's not boding well for just the state of the franchise there.

So what are the What's the best case solution for them to get back on track?

Well, I don't know, To be honest, I mean after Look, listen, I said this when the trade happened just because James Harden was forcing his way out.

You can't just grant him his wish and not get back a complete package or a Level four type player.

That's right underneath the M V P candidate for him and they didn't do that.

And so the problem is, is that when they when they traded him, it's basically like starting back over and laying the foundation like you building the house again.

So they didn't hear bottom and I get it.

They have John Wall, but John Wall is not a guy that's a franchise type guy that's going to take you to the playoffs.

I mean, take you to the Promised land or deep into the playoffs.

I applaud them coming back off the Achilles injury injury.

But it's just a big mess, and I blame the owner because he is too involved.

He really don't know a lot about the game of basketball.

And right now it's a disaster, not just with the Rockets, but all across Houston, the Astros, the Texas, everything.

I'm living in the hotel room right now.

Even our governor is a missed.

Everything is a mess in Texas, especially as you hurt going on.

Hey, Papa does is still open, though, right?

Like there's still hope.

Papa does.

Everything's good there.

One thing about it, they still gonna sell that crawfish.

I knew it.

I got one real quick question.

Speaking of the owner, Timothy, Tina just came out and said that he's putting James Harden's jersey number 13 in the rafters while you went through his list of accolades.

Does this seem a little bit too rushed a little bit to force a little bit more of a distraction, to take away from what's going on on the court?

It is.

It is, and and to me, it's crazy for him to do that and it's not well thought of.

It just seemed like he want to do something on the fly on the spur of the moment, to take away from what he has done to this franchise since taking over as being the owner.

James Harden did say publicly that he just wanted to step away for a minute to try to go win the championship and that he wanted to come finish his career as a Houston rocket.

So it's Tilman Fertitta telling us that his that he would never be a rocket again.

That's why he's retired James Harden jersey so early.

I don't get it.

I don't understand it.

I just know it's the organization is not what it's supposed to be in this leg.

And he's the head of the snake.

And he's the main reason why.

Well, knowing the mess that's happening in Houston, I feel like I know your answer to this question.

But I'm gonna ask you anyways, who do you have in the matchup tonight?

Oh, look, Look, uh, fan do have the rockets favorite by, I think, 10.5, I think the I mean Brooklyn Nets favorite by 10.5.

I think the Nets are gonna win by 20.

I think James Harden is going to put up a 40 piece wing dinner limit Pepper style with a triple double, and he is going to give them the work.

The Rockets have no answer.

I mean, you know, they don't They don't really have a personnel.

I believe Christian Woods.

Maybe returning tonight or he might not.

He's not really healthy.

I mean, Brooklyn Nets are just playing too grave a basket to good basketball right now for the Houston Rockets.

And I see a Smackdown coming in the making.

Well, thanks so much for joining us and bringing us the real the real from Houston.

You next time, next time I'm throwing my hoody in my castle you think is going on this shirt.

I've been looking like I'm about to go walk across the stage, so I appreciate you look good.

You look good.

Thanks so much for joining us.

All right.

Thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content.