James Harden: Oracle Arena 'Gives Me Nightmares' After Rockets-Warriors NBA Rivalry

Participating in 2025 NBA All-Star festivities at Oracle Arena brought back bad memories for Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden.

Harden referenced the numerous playoff clashes with the Golden State Warriors that he experienced during his days on the Houston Rockets when speaking to reporters on Saturday.

"Being in this arena gives me nightmares," Harden said. "Because I had to go against them, it was a real battle. We literally created teams just to beat the Warriors."

Golden State played its home games at Oracle Arena from 1971 through the 2018-19 season, repeatedly facing off against Harden's Rockets in the postseason.

Houston was never able to emerge victorious, though.

The two teams faced off in a playoff series on four separate occasions during Harden's tenure, with the Warriors winning every time. The Rockets came close to advancing during the 2017-18 season, narrowly falling to Golden State by nine points in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.

Harden blossomed into one of the NBA's elite three-level scorers in Houston, earning All-Star honors in each year as a member of the organization and winning the 2018 MVP award. He averaged 29.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game on 44.3/36.2/86.2 shooting splits with the Rockets.

While Harden may no longer be competing for scoring titles on an annual basis, he's in the midst of a resurgent 2024-25 campaign in Los Angeles and earned his 11th All-Star nod.

He's recording 21.5 points and 8.6 assists per game for a Clippers team that currently owns the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference standings with a 31-23 record.

Harden's MVP days in Houston may be in the rearview mirror, but he couldn't help but reminisce about his postseason battles with the Warriors after returning to Oracle Arena.