James Harden repeatedly flashed two fingers in the moments after he led the Houston Rockets to a come-from-behind 135-134 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, the reigning MVP’s most recent statement about his plans to claim that award again.cheap nfl nike jerseys chinacheap nfl nike jerseys china
A historic run by Harden, which continued with a 44-point, 10-rebound, 15-assist performance that he capped by drilling a 29-foot game winner over two defenders, has some in the Rockets organization thinking of Harden’s greatness in a bigger context.
“You could argue for him as the best offensive player of all time,” Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told ESPN. “To be able to say that with a straight face, and not have it be GM speak or coachspeak, is pretty amazing. There’s a whole bunch of ways to measure it, but he’s for sure in the conversation as the greatest offensive player ever.”
Harden has recorded at least 35 points and 5 assists in Houston’s past nine games. Oscar Robertson previously held the NBA record for most consecutive 35-point, 5-assist outings at seven games.
“He’s at a level that almost nobody in NBA history has been at,” Morey said. “We’re obviously focused on April and beyond, but it’s special to watch right now.”
The Rockets have soared from 14th to fourth place in the Western Conference standings by winning 11 of their past 12 games despite co-star Chris Paul missing the past six games (all victories) because of a strained hamstring. Harden has averaged 40.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 9.0 assists during Houston’s 11-1 hot streak.
“His confidence in himself is inspiring, really,” Rockets guard Austin Rivers said. “Everybody else just feeds off of it. I mean, even Steph [Curry] during the game was like, ‘Dude, what he’s doing right now is crazy.’ Dudes know what he’s doing is legendary.”
Harden described his confidence as being “through the roof,” adding that it has been that way for some time now. And it’s contagious.cheap nfl jerseys china nike
“He’s so special,” said Houston center Clint Capela, who had a career-high-tying 29 points and 21 rebounds. “To me, I feel like because of him I got to the next level too. You see a guy like that every day go that hard, it just gives me so much energy.”
The Warriors managed to disrupt Harden’s rhythm for a little more than a half, holding him to 15 points on 4-of-13 shooting in the first two quarters. Golden State led by 20 a minute into the second half, but Harden dominated the remainder of the quarter to get the Rockets within striking distance, contributing 13 points and 6 assists to Houston’s 39-point frame.