James Harden was interviewed postgame after the Nets’ 141-126 win vs the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of their first-round matchup. Harden talked about what went well in this one vs Game 3, the fan who threw a water bottle at Kyrie Irving, and Irving’s mental toughness.
Harden first commented on the Nets’ improved play in this game after a rough loss in Game 3: “Defensively, that’s going to be our key every single game… offensively, that should be the last thing we should be worried about because we have so many weapons… in Game 3 we weren’t constantly locked in on the defensive effort… tonight was a lot better… our rebounding was great, too.”
He also gave a statement on the fan who threw a water bottle at Irving after the game: “It’s really unacceptable… these fans should come in and boo or cheer… throwing things… it’s ridiculous at this point… somebody has to be made an example… I don’t think banning fans from the arena is good enough… something has to be put in place.”
Lastly, Harden commented on Irving’s mental toughness: “One of the best I’ve ever seen… whatever is going through his mind… he goes out there, blocks everything out, and be’s himself… came in and had a killer instinct, killer mentality… when Ky is aggressive like that, nobody can guard him… big time effort from him, big time effort from our team.”