James Harden defense memes are all over the place. It has become the running joke in the NBA.
Harden even took time this week to make fun of his own defensive shortcoming.
The worst part is that there is still a sense Harden can play defense. On the ball, Harden is not a horrible defender. He just loses his attention off the ball. Thus the memes, videos and perception.
Harden is never going to be considered the player he can be until he corrects this. No matter how good his offense is.
With Dwight Howard out with a sprained knee (one that had Howard reportedly seeking platelet-rich therapy), here was Harden’s chance to lead the Rockets on the defensive end once again.
Or at least put on another offensive show.
Harden scored 32 points including five in the final minute. He got the and-one everyone expects from the Rockets guard. What was unexpected was his steal on Monta Ellis with 22 seconds left that iced the 95-92 win. On that play, Harden bodied up Ellis and blocked his runner. A very solid defensive play.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
| Dallas | 92 | 94.2 | 43.2 | 32.7 | 16.4 | 25.0 |
| Houston | 95 | 98.8 | 45.7 | 29.2 | 18.7 | 28.0 |
Monta Ellis (DAL) — 17 pts.; Tyson Chandler (DAL) — 13 pts., 13 rebs.
James Harden (HOU) — 32 pts.; Donatas Motiejunas (HOU) — 14 pts., 12 rebs.
Game to Watch (11/23): Clippers vs. Grizzlies, 6 p.m.
Without Howard in the lineup, Harden and the Rockets actually played defense. They shut down the top offense in the league. Dallas is posting an astounding 115.9 offensive rating, by far tops in the league. The Rockets, surprisingly, have the top defense in the league at 94.5 points allowed per 100 possessions.
This was very much that kind of matchup. Even with Harden on the Rockets.
The defense won as both teams shot worse than 40 percent. And the Rockets drained 15 3-pointers, plus the offensive brilliance of Harden. That part is not going away.
