Rockets: Vernon Maxwell gives classic quote about James Harden, Nets

Vernon Maxwell has etched a permanent spot in Houston Rockets folklore, as he’s become a fan favorite both on and off the court. Maxwell was pivotal in each of the Rockets’ two championships, and was also one of the few players that were successful as the primary defender on Michael Jordan.

Maxwell has transitioned from a stellar career on the court to an entertaining one off the court, as he’s become a gem on social media, posting epic tweets on Twitter time and time again. Maxwell possesses authenticity that even Patrick Beverley and Charles Barkley could only dream about, as he holds no punches.

Houston Rockets legend Vernon Maxwell gives classic quote on James Harden’s new-look Nets

Maxwell recently joined Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on the Scoop B Radio Podcast to offer his thoughts on James Harden and the new look Brooklyn Nets and provided a classic quote.

“Somebody has to take the back seat to somebody. And Harden seems like he’s taking the back seat to everybody.

Seems like he’s been more facilitator than more of a scorer. Somebody had to do that for that to work.

But they still gotta play some da- defense now. They’ve gotta play some da- defense. I mean God da-.

You can’t be scoring 140 points and losing and sh-. I mean good God. That’s just crazy.

You’ve got to play some God d- defense. I love the team, I love what they’ve put together over there.

That’s my guy Steve Nash, I just think somebody had to take the back seat and Harden is the bigger man. He took the back seat.”

The Nets rank 25th in the league in defensive rating and have allowed 116 points per game, which ranks 27th in the league, proving Maxwell’s point. In spite of Brooklyn’s defensive woes, Maxwell believes it will be challenging for any team to beat the Nets in a seven-game postseason series, due to the dominance of Harden, Durant, and Irving, which he explained.

“It’s going to be tough for somebody to beat Brooklyn in a seven-game series too now. I mean sh-. You gotta see this sh- every night?

It ain’t going anywhere. These mf-ers are really trying to cut your f-king head off. These mf-ers are really coming at you every time they get the ball.

These mf-ers really are trying to hurt somebody. Them mf-ers are killers. All 3 of them are serial killers.”

Harden and the Nets are slated to face off against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, in what will be Harden’s first time back in Houston since he was dealt to Brooklyn. Fortunately for the Rockets, the Nets will be without Kevin Durant, who is out due to injury, although it likely won’t alter the outcome, as the Nets have won seven of their last eight without Durant.

Harden has played stellar in Brooklyn, posting averages of 25.3 points, 11.3 assists, and 8.7 rebounds, the latter two of which are career bests. Harden has also mad 41.9 percent of his 3-pointers, and 49 percent of his field goals, while posting true shooting splits of 64.6 percent, which are all career-highs and have him in position to finish as a finalist for the MVP award yet again.

Harden and the Nets will be a tough draw for anyone in the postseason, due to the firepower they possess on the offensive end, but as Maxwell stated, they’ll have to shore up on the defensive end if they want to win a title this year.