James Harden remained outwardly confident after yet another so-so outing that led to a loss for the heavily favored Rockets. Game Three was his second straight stint without a make on his trademark stepback three-point shot, a startling development that explained in part the sluggish showing of the red and white. His go-to move typically keeps the National Basketball Association’s most efficient offense humming, and its utter lack of effectiveness has led to relative predictability.
Needless to say, Harden kept on shooting yesterday, not just as a reflection of his unshakable self-assurance, but out of necessity. The Rockets need him to make hay with his virtuoso forays from beyond the arc so that the sun would shine on his teammates. Unfortunately, he kept missing, which then allowed the Timberwolves to keep pace — that is, until he didn’t midway through the second quarter. And though the score was close at the half, he had found his groove, all but enabling the visitors to assert their superiority in front of 18,978 hostile fans.
Considering how much the Rockets were due, their 50-point third canto served as a welcome release for the heavy favorites. Not for nothing had they won a league-high 65 regular season games, and they knew asserting their place in the totem pole against the eighth-seed Timberwolves was a matter of when, not if. For all the spunk showed by the latter in Games Two and Three, yesterday was more representative of the real order in the stacked West.
In the aftermath of the Rockets’ victory, plenty of ink was devoted to Harden’s 22-point barrage backstopped by All-World partner Chris Paul’s 15-point output in the penultimate period. All things considered, however, their leech-like defense was equally significant. Yes, the much-maligned presumptive Most Valuable Player awardee was extremely active in his coverages, limiting the Timberwolves’ effectiveness in exploiting a perceived weakness.
Which, in a nutshell, was why head coach Mike D’Antoni kept on saying “we’ll be fine” during the times they weren’t. He knew Harden would break out, and how. And if Game Four is any indication, the Rockets have momentum to end the series in five and get some time to rest and prepare for the conference semifinals. They’ll want to ride it.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
