James Harden was actually spotted playing lock down defense, or the closest thing to it, in Thursday's 98-94 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 5. The victory put the Rockets on the edge of clinching a place in the NBA Finals, with the odds resoundingly against them. A lot of fuss has been made about James Harden's shooting struggles in the series, but if you ask the man himself he responds, "Who cares?" as he did after Game 5.
The Beard was 0-of-11 from 3-point range, equaling the record set by former Knicks' guard John Starks. If you circle back to Game 4, the stats look bleak as can be. His 20 consecutive misses from 3-point range in the last 2 games make up the worst drought of his career, and yet they team keeps piling up victories.After the game, a journalist asked him what he was going to change in his shooting mechanics, Harden responded with "Nothing." The Rockets' picked up the slack by offering his view on what's given his team the balance of power in the series: "I'm just missing shots. But we're winning, and I'm trying to compete on the defensive end and do other things to help my team win. But if we've got a guy like Eric Gordon making shots and being aggressive, who cares?"
Tune in for Game 6 Tomorrow at 9 P.M. The Warriors are in unfamiliar territory with their season on the brink of extinction.