Getty Image
As he proved when he dropped 60 points in three quarters during a recent game (as well as on countless other occasions), James Harden is one of the most dangerous scorers in the NBA to a point where Steve Kerr simply wished Ky Bowman “good luck” when he assigned him to defend the Rockets guard.
"Good luck to you, Ky."
Steve Kerr's message to Ky Bowman having to defend James Harden tonight. pic.twitter.com/i5owjZQXuU
— ESPN (@espn) November 7, 2019
Harden has plenty of weapons in his repertoire—including a particularly vicious stepback jumper—but he also has an uncanny ability to draw fouls on a consistent basis, and as a result, he has led the league in free-throw attempts over the past few seasons (in addition to the number of total free throws made).
On Tuesday night, the Rockets took on the Spurs in San Antonio and Harden was up to his old tricks, as he took to the charity stripe 24 times and converted every single shot he attempted—although there was at least one fan who was not pleased with his trips to the line.
During the first quarter of the contest, Harden stepped up to take a free throw and the spectator in question yelled out “No one wants to see a free throw contest,” a statement that resulted in a rebuke from Harden, who noted that no one wants to see a game filled with fouls either.
James Harden having a chat with a Spurs fan that is tired of watching free throws 😂 https://t.co/qYQiK93Umr
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) December 4, 2019
Harden would finish the game with 50 points in a showdown that went to double-overtime but probably shouldn’t have thanks to the referees’ refusal to count what was obviously a good dunk.
With that said, Harden can’t be super mad with the officials for all the questionable foul calls that have gone his way over the years.