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James Harden’s Game-Winner Only Raises More Questions For Rockets

By Nicholas Sciria
Published on: 11:35 PST, Apr 22, 2016

With the Houston Rockets’ Game 2 hopes on life support on Thursday night, James Harden delivered a game-winner that gave the Rockets life in their first-round series with the Golden State Warriors. Harden’s clutch shot capped a productive night for the Rockets’ shooting guard, who finished with 35 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds. However, after Harden made the shot to tie the series with the defending champions, Houston’s bench had an odd reaction. Dwight Howard and other players on the bench seemed less than excited, once again raising questions about the team’s chemistry and camaraderie.

Despite what looks to be a bored reaction in a seemingly intense moment, Howard spoke out against the notion that there were problems. He told ESPN that there was nothing to surmise from the reactions on the Rockets bench.

“I think everybody made a big deal out of nothing, and we were very happy we won the game. But I think more so we were kind of upset we put ourselves in that situation. It took a last-second shot to win the game when we clearly had the game beat from the beginning of the game.”

However, despite Howard’s rebuttal, there is no denying that concerns have followed Houston around all season. Chemistry issues and locker room problems, although undocumented, are a possible explanation for a Rockets team that has had questionable play all season.

A lot of these questions and concerns revolve around James Harden, the team’s best player. In October and November, Harden struggled mightily. Harden came into the season overweight and out of shape, seemingly complacent after the team’s Western Conference Finals appearance in the season prior. According to ESPN, Harden shot 40.0 percent from the field in the first few months, a far cry from last season’s mark of 44.0 percent. Additionally, his 29.8 percent from last season was well behind his 37.5 percent three-point shooting in the year prior. Consequently, this development raised even more concerns regarding Harden’s leadership abilities.

Eventually, head coach Kevin McHale was fired for JB Bickerstaff after a 4-11 start, which clearly revolved around Harden’s lackluster start to the season. Even though Harden has bounced back and his numbers are once again respectable, many of the same questions still remain in Houston despite the coaching change. Given the odd reaction to Harden’s shot on Thursday, this situation only solidifies that notion.

Knowing this, SB Nation brainstormed why Harden’s teammates’ reactions were less than emphatic, a surprise given the moment in the game and how much it meant for their playoff hopes.

“But for my money, the absolutely top moment of this bizarro game was the Rockets bench’s reaction after James Harden hit the game-winner with seconds to go. These dudes look way more annoyed that they now must fly back to Oakland this weekend and delay their vacations at least two more days. Or they just like Harden that little.”

If his Rockets teammates really do not like Harden, it is not all that surprising. Harden’s leadership has been questioned for some time now, especially after letting his team down at the start of this season. Even more concerning is that he does not seem to jive with Dwight Howard, who is likely to leave Houston this offseason. In reviewing Harden’s offensive possession, he constantly seems emotionless and even disinterested at times. Defensively, he has more lapses than most players in the league, rarely engaged enough to contribute to a defensive stop.

So what do you think? Is Houston’s reaction to Harden’s game-winner a problem or a non-story?

[Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images]

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