After the Rockets beat the Warriors on Jan. 20, Clint Capela made a bold statement.
"We're going to beat them ... we are better than them."
On Tuesday night, James Harden told ESPN, "this is the year; for sure."
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Following the Warriors' shootaround in Washington D.C., Steph Curry was asked about Houston's confidence.
[WARRIORS OUTSIDERS PODCAST: Michael Wilbon says many players think Rockets better than Warriors]
"What are they supposed to say? If I was in the same shoes, I would say the same thing," Curry told reporters. "We were probably saying the same stuff four years ago when we were chasing our first championship.
"I would either think they were lying or be seriously concerned if they were saying anything different ... there is so much time before we actually can battle it out on the court -- not just with Houston, but all the other teams in the West -- fighting for that conference championship.
"Everybody's gotta have that confidence -- whether it's rational or not."
"Whether it's rational or not" is the sexiest part of Curry's answer.
It will be extremely disappointing if the Warriors and Rockets -- at full strength -- don't meet in the playoffs.
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The Basketball Gods need to make sure this happens...
Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller
