Harden Out-Harden's Himself, Goes Off for a Second 61

Houston Rockets coach Mike d'Antoni did his bit for the snark industry after his fuzzy-faced scoring machine racked up another of an ongoing bushel of baskets.

On who in the NBA can stop James Harden:

Me. I can sit him.

OG's such a witty scamp.

 

D'Antoni won't be sitting Harden anytime soon, especially since the former Sun Devil shows no real sign of fatigue.

San Antonio's Spurs will vouch for that, as dude's range covered from sideline to shining sideline in his latest 61-point demonstration of uncanny accuracy. The Rockets dug in spurs of their own as Harden led them to a 111-105 victory:

 

This matches his output against the New York Knicks in the Garden on 23 Jan in a 114-110 victory.

The Beard was just as unconscious in a 17-38 performance as he was in this one:

 

Harden's scoring is putting him in the same sentance as legends:

• He's now tied Elgin Baylor for the fourth-most 60+ scoring games all-time with 3;
• He and Baylor are also tied for fourth-most 50+ scoring games all-time with 17; and
• He's tied Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain for most 50+ scoring games in a season with 8.

 

But enough of the platitudes.

The question still remains how putting a contender's offense in the hot hands of one player is gonna play in the playoffs.

As Golden State showed last spring, it's a tough ask.

 

Maybe a healthy Chris Paul will make a difference this time around, but untio proven otherwise, it's clear a long series is a different sorta challenge for d'Antoni's system than the regular season is.

So games like this are fun and all that, with fans getting the show they paid to see, but Harden and Houston still have to prove what they're doing works when the rubber meets the road.

Of course, that'll be worth paying to see, also.