C’s tag-team Harden
A shared duty on ‘D’
James Harden created the ultimate poster moment for a jump shooter Wednesday night with a crossover drib- ble that was so powerful, the Clippers’ Wesley Johnson fell over.
The Rockets star paused and stared, giving Johnson a moment to recover his broken ankles and get back up, before draining a 3-pointer with an MVP level of impunity. For proud defenders like Marcus Smart, Harden is the Moby Dick of matchups.
“I seen it. I was watching ‘SportsCenter.’ It was a good shot,” Smart said of the viral crossover.
Smart will not be on an island against Harden when the Celtics play in Houston tonight. Though Smart secured the result with a pair of signature plays when the Celtics beat Houston on Dec. 28, drawing two charges on Harden in the last seven seconds, Brad Stevens’ philosophy against the NBA’s best is to send a platoon.
The Celtics won by a point (99-98) after trailing by 26 points in the first half, and despite 34 points from Harden, including a 15-for-15 performance from the line. Harden’s trouble was instead reflected in his shooting — 7-for-17 overall and 5-for-15 from 3-point range.
Harden, who had trouble with both calls at the time, had a simple answer yesterday when asked about Smart’s role in those two plays.
“Next question.” Same approach, too, including the same annoying (for Harden) mix of physical play and dramatics from Smart, who is accused of flopping from time to time.
“Just try to wear him down,” Smart said of tonight’s challenge. “Stay on him and make every shot that he takes tough. He’s going to make some tough shots, but he’s not going to make enough, and eventually if you’re contesting every shot and making him work for it, in the fourth quarter those shots become harder.”
Harden is also guaranteed to encounter a fresh Smart, who has almost single-handedly lifted the Celtics defense since his return from an 11-game absence for a hand-related injury.
“I love it,” Smart said of the chance to guard a player of Harden’s caliber. “It’s an opportunity for me to challenge myself on the defensive end, and each and every day I’m up for those type of challenges. My teammates and the coaching staff give me the confidence to have the ability to do that when those opportunities come to do everything I can in my ability to help this team win.”
Judging from Harden’s response yesterday, he’s taking Smart’s arrival in Houston a tad personally. Smart, though, simply loves the matchup.
“Nah, nothing personal, said Smart. “It’s just the way I was taught basketball. There’s some friends I’m cool with in this league, and once we step on the court I’m not your friend, I’m not trying to really talk to you. I might laugh and joke, but at the end of the day when you have the ball and the ball’s tipped off, it’s time to go. I’m trying to do everything I can to help my team win.”
Harden is not going to get a steady diet of Smart, either. Expect Jaylen Brown to be part of the rotation.
“I don’t even care about numbers. I think it’s about efficiency and it’s about how hard you make it,” said Stevens. “There are going to be times where guys like that, you can guard them great and they go off. Steph Curry in that game at Golden State is a great example. There are times where the great, great offensive players in this league can outdo a great defensive possession. I think, at the end of the day, you try to make it as hard as possible. You don’t care about total points as much as trying to make everything feel challenged. Hopefully, there is a cumulative effect at the end of the game where you’ve made it as tough as you can.
“Multiple guys. Everyone gets a shot.”
Hopefully none of them ends up like the Clippers’ Johnson, on the floor.
“He’s a hard guy to guard. He’s got a lot to his game. He’s got great skill and quickness,” said Stevens. “The one thing is you have to really guard him with great tenacity, and sometimes he’s going to make plays like that. That’s what good players do. You get back up and guard him again.”