Harden’s light bulb burns bright when pressure rises
OAKLAND, Calif. — It’s almost automatic at this point. The Rockets were down and needed to make a run. Guard James Harden had the ball in his hands and looked at the court in front of him.
He didn’t think long, just reacted as he stepped back and launched a 3-pointer that hit nothing but net. He did his signature “stirring the pot” hand gesture as the Golden State crowd — known for its exceptional noise — went silent.
The spectators, like the rest of the basketball world this season, had seen it before. When Harden flips that switch and goes into a zone, he becomes one of the NBA’s hardest players to guard.
Harden scored 17 of his 28 points in the final 18 minutes of Tuesday night’s Western Conference finals opener. He led the Rockets as they made a surge to tie the game, which they eventually lost 110-106. Switching gears
Though the Rockets are down 1-0 in the series, they remain confident going into Game 2, largely because of Harden’s performance in the opener.
“We’ve seen him do that all year, and when he goes into that zone, he is tough,” forward Corey Brewer said. “He is on another level.”
Harden filled up the stat sheet Tuesday, adding 11 rebounds, nine assists and four steals for a near tripledouble.
A few players have the ability to take it to another gear the way Harden does. One is series opponent Stephen Curry. Another, Cleveland’s LeBron James, is still alive in the Eastern Conference finals.
“There’s maybe 10 guys that can take over the game with the ball in their hands,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “That’s what makes guys like (Harden) special.”
Added Warriors forward Draymond Green: “You love having guys like that on your team. But when a guy like Harden is on the other team and gets into a groove, well, it just sucks.”
Golden State withstood Harden’s late heroics, however. In fact, after the Rockets tied the game at 97, the Warriors kept them from ever taking the lead.
Harden has been able to completely take over in those moments several times this season. On six occasions, he scored the goahead points in the final 90 seconds of games the Rockets went on to win.
So the Warriors know his high gear is coming, and they stay ready for it.
“When he gets in a groove like that, it’s hard to stop,” Green said. “You know, I think Klay (Thompson) was draped all over him, and he just continued to make shots. But the one thing he was doing was making contested 2-pointers. We can live with that. You have to.” Picking his spots
Harden said that in the games in which he has had the big moments and led the Rockets to wins, he just hit a point when things started to look clearer. That’s what happened in Game 1.
“The floor just opens up,” Harden said. “I see where I can get my guys involved or where I can get a good shot.
“I have the ball in my hands the majority of the game. I can pick and choose my spots. I have to be a facilitator, too. I like when guys are getting open shots and open layups and the ball is moving. I think everybody is happy, and I think guys are more willing to go out there and play on both ends of the floor at a high level.”
So when Harden has the chance to get things going, he takes it.
And it’s something the Warriors are going to try to deal with the best they can throughout the series.
“He is a superstar,” Kerr said. “We have some adjustments we can try to make. Our feeling is that if he is making tough shots, you have to live with it because everything is a calculated risk. You start messing with junking up your defense, then you possibly give up wide-open 3s to other guys. He is a challenge.”