Since the 2014-15 season, the Golden State Warriors have defeated the Houston Rockets in four intense series over various editions of the NBA playoffs. But that doesn’t mean there’s no mutual respect.
The Warriors (15-50) have had the NBA’s worst record this season, largely due to widespread injuries to key players that devastated the roster. As such, they weren’t among the 22 teams invited to Florida to participate in the championship’s summer shoot, and veteran striker Draymond Green has been helping TNT’s crew over the past few days with studio analysis.
On Saturday, Green was on set when the three championship finalists for MVP were announced. That list included James Harden of the Rockets, as well as Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James. While Green said he would pick James as this season’s MVP, he also argued that Harden was being overlooked based on his ability to make routine seem like extraordinary stats.
Here is the question Green posed to the TNT panel:
Is James Harden penalized for the numbers he’s putting up now? Everyone is used to it and that’s what you expect, so now nobody gives him the credit he deserves? I think I’ve seen some.
In the clip, TNT’s Kenny Smith seemed receptive to this topic.
Harden has been an MVP finalist in each of the last four seasons. He finished second in 2016-17 and 2018-19, and won it in 2018-19.
This year, Harden leads the Rockets and NBA with a score of 34.3 points per game clip, which is only the third time in over 30 years that a player has averaged at least 34 points in one. season. (The other two were Harden’s 36.1 last season and Kobe Bryant’s 35.4 in 2005-06.)
Assuming “The Beard” maintains his scoring average above 34 after his remaining four regular-season games, Harden will become only the third player in league history to average at least 34 points in two different seasons, joining Michael Jordan. and Wilt Chamberlain. During his eight years in Houston, Harden earned All-Star honors in all of them as he led his Rockets to the playoffs each season.
In addition to his historic scores, Harden is in eighth place in the NBA in assists with 7.5 per game this season. It is also number 5 in stolen (1.8).
Now in his 30s, Harden is still looking for his first NBA title. Perhaps it’s more doable than ever in 2020, since Green’s Warriors are no longer in the way. In any case, even without a championship ring, it certainly looks like Harden has already earned their respect.
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