James Harden Comes To Houston To Watch Rockets Take On Spurs

Kawhi Leonard didn’t play for the Spurs tonight, and it ultimately didn’t matter too much. Jonathon Simmons started in his stead and rose to the occasion, scoring 18, while LaMarcus Aldridge led the team with 34 and San Antonio cruised to an easy 114-75 win along with a Western Conference Finals berth.

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The Thunder Didn't Stand A Chance

The Houston Rockets won Game 5 over the Thunder tonight, shooting their way out of a handful of Russell Westbrook-induced holes and taking a close one, 105-99. Much like the entire series, the game was excruciating to watch and the Thunder’s brief flickers of life did little to stave off the feeling that they were…

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What Does An Argument For Kawhi Leonard's MVP Candidacy Really Say?

The NBA regular season is over and done with, and as the dust settles before the playoffs start this weekend, it’s time to take stock of what looks like the closest MVP race since Steve Nash won his second consecutive award after the 2005-06 season. Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and LeBron James are…

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James Harden Should Probably Take Some Time Off

James Harden did not have a very good game against the Warriors last night, despite finishing with 24 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds. Move down the box score a bit, and you’ll see that he was 5-of-20 from the field and 1-of-9 from three-point range. What was to blame for the rough shooting night? Probably his…

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Get A Load Of This Incredible Game-Winning Sequence From Kawhi Leonard 

The Rockets went to San Antonio tonight to play the Spurs and give us all a preview of what the Western Conference semifinals will be like. For most of the game, Houston was in control. James Harden scored 18 points in the first quarter and the Rockets led by double digits from early in the first quarter to halfway…

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Tim Hardaway Jr. Went Bonkers And Outdueled James Harden

With just over eight minutes left tonight, the Houston Rockets held a 20-point led over the Atlanta Hawks. James Harden was cooking and scoring from wherever he wanted and his fearsome arsenal of shooters were doing their thing. Teams with the best player on the court playing at home against a team on the second night…

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James Harden Vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo Was Fun As Hell

Here’s how good James Harden has been this year: Russell Westbrook is averaging a triple double over halfway through the season for the first time in over 50 years, and yet the general consensus around the NBA is that the virtual MVP award is a tossup between Harden and Westbrook. While Westbrook is getting his…

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Report: CBA Has Exceptions So Harden And Westbrook Can Get Paid This Year

At first it appeared that the new CBA’s “Kevin Durant Rule,” which allows NBA teams to offer fatter contracts to keep their superstars from flirting with other options in free agency, would leave the Thunder and Rockets feeling like idiots. Last summer both teams just signed their cornerstones—Russell Westbrook and James Harden, respectively—to contract extensions, unaware that they’d have a more powerful option available if they’d waited just one year longer. Ordinarily, a player would not be able to sign contract extensions in consecutive years, but Yahoo Sports reports that the CBA has carved out specific exceptions for both of these players, because their teams’ behavior fit the spirit of the rule: keeping superstars in place.

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