BRIAN T. SMITH A season of wonder
James Harden’s season has been a wonder to watch, marvel and preserve in record books
Prime-time national TV. Regular-season home finale for the best 82-game Rockets team in franchise history.
Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony in the same building.
And whose huge, oversized face stood outside Toyota Center on Saturday night, Mount Rushmore-like and seemingly lifted from a Mardi Gras float? James Harden’s, of course.
The best player in the NBA in 2017-18. The should-be and expected MVP. The ninth-year pro who answered a supermax $170 million contract extension and the summer addition of Chris Paul with the greatest season of his career.
LeBron James is The King. Westbrook entered Saturday evening on the verge of averaging another season-long tripledouble, the year after he won the MVP with similar stats. Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo have produced NBA MVP-caliber years during a season when the Nos. 4-8 seeds in the Western Conference remain undecided.
But no one has been as dominant and consistent as Harden. And no team has been able to touch Mike D’Antoni’s Rockets, who took the court Saturday with a franchise-record 64 wins, held a seven-game lead over the once-untouchable Golden State Warriors and possess home-court advantage throughout the NBA Finals.
“What he’s done is simply amazing. Just being able to get all the numbers he’s got, then the team having one of the best offenses ever and all that together,” said D’Antoni, before the Rockets fell short for win No. 65. “It’s not like he’s gotten points or whatever at the detriment of other people. We’re having a lot of guys that are having career years, and he and Chris and different guys are a part of that.
“Everybody’s better and (Harden has) been unbelievable. .Usually when everybody else is doing, then your numbers will be off. But, no, he’s been able to manufacture both of them.”
I’ll save legacies — Harden, Paul, D’Antoni — for next week, when the NBA’s real season begins. But in the present moment, this is the best and most complete the 2011-12 Sixth Man of the Year has ever been.
“It’s crazy just watching the process,” veteran forward Trevor Ariza said. “It seemed like it just happened overnight, because he worked so hard for it and he’s so gifted and it’s all coming together for him. He’s leading us to where we’re going.”
From the No. 3 option behind Kevin Durant and Westbrook to flashy scorer and untested face of the franchise. From a two-time MVP runner-up with limitations to a nightly leader topping the NBA in average scoring (30.6) and ranking third in assists (8.7), during a season that has featured 14-, 17and 11-game winning streaks.
It’s almost impossible to compare the center and pointguard positions, especially when comparing an era defined by the 3-pointer and a period that had yet to embrace the long-range shot. Hakeem Olajuwon’s 1993-94 MVP season (27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, 3.6 assists, 41 minutes) also ended with a Finals MVP and the Rockets’ first NBA championship. But those Rockets “only” won 58 games and Harden could soon join Michael Jordan as the only players in league history to average at least 30 points, eight assists, five rebounds and 1.7 steals in a season.
“This is by far the most respect I’ve seen him give his teammates,” said Calvin Murphy, Rockets TV analyst and Basketball Hall of Fame member. “He believes in them. They believe in him. And because of it, you see the end result.”
The Rockets and their leader started slow Saturday night. But a Jose Altuve-like “MVP” chant began at 8:21 p.m., followed by Harden draining a step-back 3 and reaching 10 points with 4 minutes, 44 seconds left in the first half. By the break, he led the Rockets with 21 points (6-of-9 shooting) and six assists, and had brought his team to life.
“A lot of guys are playing great,” D’Antoni said. “But I do think that James is also the body of work — it’s like for three years he’s been this good or better than anybody. So I think it’s his turn.”
OKC's three-man show of Westbrook, George and Anthony had its shot Saturday, combining for 70 points, while the Thunder outscored the Rockets 28-19 during the fourth quarter for a 108-102 win. Harden was limited to five points on 1-of-7 shooting during the second half, while the Rockets' 20game home winning streak ended on a night that didn't feature Eric Gordon.
“We're in a great place right now,” Harden said. “Two more games, close it out and be ready for the playoffs.”
It has been the season of Harden and his Rockets. If the MVP show continues through the Finals, The Beard will have a statue outside Toyota Center.