Rockets right to end Harden’s big night
James Harden’s latest 60-point explosion was a full-fledged ethical quandary.
On Saturday, the superstar Houston Rockets guard annihilated the Atlanta Hawks by scoring 60 points in just 30 minutes during a 158-111 home victory. In so doing, he joined Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan as the only players to register at least four 60-point games. Rare air indeed.
Yet the real story was the history that Harden didn’t make. Because Houston was leading 127-73 after three quarters, coach Mike D’antoni elected to rest Harden for the entire fourth quarter. That decision cost Harden the opportunity to top his career-high of 61 points and surpass Bryant’s hallowed mark of 81 points, set against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
D’antoni’s decision was a matter of common sense — there’s no use risking injury with the win comfortably in hand — and it aligned with similar sportsmanship precedents, even if the Rockets could theoretically have rested Harden for the entire second half after building an 81-52 halftime lead. Bryant scored 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks in 2005 before sitting out the fourth quarter. Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson scored 60 points in three quarters against the Indiana Pacers in 2016 before resting the final period.
Traditionalists who oppose running up the score in search of statistical achievements shouldn’t take the Rockets’ decision for granted. Indeed, the conditions were almost perfect for a historic night. Harden was unstoppable, shooting 16 of 24 from the field, eight of 14 on threes and 20 of 23 from the line. He was playing at home with no health or schedule concerns. And this isn’t any old superstar. Harden is arguably the
NBA’S most empowered player: He has received multiple longterm contract extensions, and he leads the NBA in scoring and shot attempts. If Harden had wanted a new career high or if he had wanted to eclipse Bryant, it’s hard to imagine that anyone could have stopped him.
Harden had little to risk when it came to public backlash. He’s already public enemy No. 1 to fans who believe he flops and hunts foul calls.
Consider this too: 81 is remembered as one of the defining achievements of Bryant’s career as it marked the second-highest total in NBA history — trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points in 1962. There’s no question that 82 would be viewed as Harden’s defining achievement to date.
Harden and his peers are performing in a stats-obsessed era dominated by fantasy basketball and the NBA’S modern pace-andspace style. In 2017, the Phoenix
Suns set a more aggressive — and shameless — precedent when they helped Devin Booker score a career-high 70 points. Coach Earl Watson force-fed Booker and didn’t substitute him, even though the Boston Celtics led by double digits in the closing minutes.
Watson offered no apologies afterward and the Suns celebrated Booker’s achievement despite the loss.
With a few days to reflect on all the factors at play, the most impressive aspect of Harden’s latest 60 was Houston’s restraint.
Even so, the big question hangs: How long will sportsmanship and decency manage to win out?
The Washington Post