Following Friday’s Los Angeles Clippers 102-92 victory over the Golden State Warriors, NBA legends James Harden and Steph Curry reminisced a bit about their epic battles.
Harden is in the home stretch of his complex Hall of Fame NBA career, and he wants the fans to savor the remaining years of their league tenure.
“I hope fans and people who enjoy and love the game of basketball can embrace and cherish these moments,” said Harden. “Because once players like us are gone, we’ll never see them again.”
James Harden Wants Fans To Cherish Him
Harden and Curry, two of the greatest players the league has ever seen, were drafted four spots apart in the 2009 NBA draft and both understand that the end is near. They also referenced the epic Christmas Day battle between LeBron James and Curry, which came down to the last second in a 115-113 Los Angeles Lakers victory.
In many ways for “The Beard and “The Chef” it was an opportunity to just think about how much they’ve helped change the game. For Curry it’s been his uncanny shooting ability that’s made him the greatest shooter ever, a four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, including being the only unanimous MVP in league history in 2016.
For Harden, it’s been his unique scoring prowess that’s made him arguably the fourth-best shooting guard in league history behind Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. As these greats continue to perform at the highest level, they know the end is near, and for them each time they get the opportunity to lace ’em up isn’t taken for granted.
Father Time Is Undefeated
Speaking with the media following Friday’s contest, Harden had this to say.
“Me and Steph were just talking about that after the game as well. We like to hoop. Father Time is undefeated,” Harden said. “It’s a real thing, especially for some of us, somebody like us, and LeBron probably feels the same way. Like we love playing basketball, and that’s all we’ve done our entire lives. And we’re very good at it.”
Harden added, “So it’s going to be difficult, and now we just have little nagging injuries that when you’re younger you probably just don’t get. But you get a little older, and it’s like, dang, my knee hurts a little bit. It’s weird, but it’s a part of life.”
While all this is true, there’s still one question that needs to be answered.
What Type Of Legacy Is Harden Leaving?
Curry has the four rings, the title of greatest shooter ever and all-around lovable guy. For Harden it’s not as clear cut. Yes, he’s been a prolific scorer and great assist guy but he’s also come up small in the biggest moments of the playoffs.
Also his style of play has long been frowned upon, with many saying he creates new ways to travel every season and somehow the league and referees just overlook it. It’s also his propensity to draw fouls that were often initiated by him, and while league-wide rule changes have changed the amount of fouls he draws he still gets his fair share.
A huge part of his legacy includes being a ten-time NBA All-Star, three-time scoring champion and one-time MVP. Like Curry, Harden played a huge role in the evolution of the three-point shot, he’s currently second all-time to Curry in makes.
Harden’s also been involved in multiple holdouts and forced trades since 2020, which has hurt his popularity amongst fans.
At The Height Of His Powers Harden Was Offensive Juggernaut
During his years with the Houston Rockets Harden was “the system” under head coach Mike D’Antoni and if not for the Golden State Warriors juggernaut, which featured the likes of the aforementioned Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala, it’s highly plausible that Harden would have led the franchise to its first title since 1995.
The former Arizona State star was arguably the most feared offensive player in the league 2017-2019, he even averaged a staggering 36.1 points per game in 2018-19, the most since Michael Jordan (1986-87). Harden’s (2,818) points that season ranks 10th all-time for a single season in league history, in fact only Wilt Chamberlain (four times), Michael Jordan (twice), Bob McAdoo, Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (once each) scored more in a season.
