Harden the Interruption: a Beard Explosion Fuels Rockets’ Comeback to Burn Heat, 121-118
Greatness. Brotherhood Inspiration. It’s Over, Again.
Greatness was witnessed on Thursday night at Toyota Center, on a night that was supposed to be dedicated to a retiring Dwayne Wade. Houston’s chance to witness the Dwyane Wade Fairwell Tour was quite a show. The arena was dispersed with Heat #3 jerseys. A final season that’s seen vintage Wade performances at times (Wednesday’s win over Golden State), and a Heat team mired in mediocrity all year. No matter the result for Miami, Dwyane Wade usually gets the spotlight. And he did. Well, some of it. Chris Paul and Wade did the traditional jersey-swap. Something Flash has done after every game throughout his final NBA campaign. This game however, was about more than exchanging jerseys and hugs.
James Harden took stepped back into the spotlight. Houston is fighting to get the best possible seed for the playoffs. For the third time in 4 games, the Rockets fell behind by at least 15 points. On Thursday night, Houston trailed by as many as 21 in the third quarter. It looked like another game the Rockets were going to succumb to an inferior opponent. In Wade’s final game in Houston. But, Harden, as he’s done time and time again, responded. The Beard wasn’t going to let a 21-point deficit keep the Rockets down. Not like this. The Rockets flipped the script, and this time played the comeback part, rallying to victory.
Harden had another MVP-worthy performance with an astonishing 58 points, including 34 in the 2nd half, to lead the Rockets to a come from behind victory over the Heat. Harden’s 58 is the most points scored against the Heat by an opposing player. He just continues to break records. The Beard also had 10 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals (for those who say he doesn’t play defense). Don’t just focus in on the 58 points. The game was Harden’s most efficient of the season. The Beard shot 16/32 from the field, including 8/18 from deep. And he was perfect at the line, going 18/18. Harden also got some brotherly inspiration. In a bizarre third quarter sequence, P.J. Tucker (who rarely gets tossed), was ejected by Tony Brothers (Scott Foster’s right-hand man). Apparently, Brothers was offended by the Sneaker King’s footwear. It only added the fuel to the fire Houston needed to make their comeback. Harden had 17 in the fourth, and as CP3 struggled, the MVP just would not allow the Rockets to lose. The Beard’s had many defining MVP performances. Add Thursday night’s game to the list.
Elsewhere, Gary Clark played his most minutes in ages. The rookie had 32 minutes of action, and showed why he deserves more playing time. Houston’s depth has kept him on the bench. Clark earned more playing time on Thursday. The rookie had 14 points and 5 rebounds on efficient shooting. Clark went 5/9 from the field, including 3/7 from beyond the arc. Hopefully the rookie will see more action. He’s finally regained his shooting stroke and it’s difficult to keep a rhythm on the bench. Another Rocket who’s seemed to recapture his shooting stroke, is Austin Rivers. He provided a spark off the bench, with 17 points for Houston, including some huge threes. The Rockets clamped down on defense to assist their rally, allowing only 20 points in the fourth quarter. The win gave Houston 4 in a row, as they now sit only 2 games behind Oklahoma City for the cherished 3 seed.
It’s over, again. It should be. And by it, I mean the MVP race. On the anniversary of last year’s deadly crossover on Wesley Johnson, James Harden had another game to remember. In another signature MVP performance, Harden dragged the Rockets back from a 21-point second half deficit to give Houston its fourth win in a row. It was arguably Harden’s defining performance of the season. Still ailing from a sore shoulder, and with Chris Paul struggling, they trailed by as many as 21-points in the third quarter. P.J. Tucker got ejected for no reason. And the depleted Rockets game into the contest with injuries to Eric Gordon, Kenneth Faried, and Iman Shumpert. Houston had no business winning this game, but the MVP wouldn’t let them lose. It was the sixth 50-point game for Harden this season, and the third game this season he’s had 50+ points and 10+ assists. The Beard’s now done that 7 times in his career. No other player has accomplished that feat more than 3 times in NBA history. If you still want to complain about Harden, his style of play, or any of the many false narratives floating around, you’re entitled to your opinion. But go do that in your own time, let the rest of us admire Harden’s greatness.