The exhausted San Antonio Spurs gave the Brooklyn Nets everything they could handle on Monday. Despite losing several important players, they managed to overcome a deficit of 10 points in the final 2:12 of the regulation to force overtime. They may have lost the game there, but in all likelihood, they would have won in the regulation had it not been for the heroism of James Harden. The 2018 MVP had an absolute practice against San Antonio, scoring 30 points, giving 15 assists and catching 14 rebounds in victory.
The performance, statistically speaking, was historic. Harden became the first known player to post a 30-15-10 line without committing a single spin, although individual spins have only been monitored since the 1977-78 season. This general dominance has been a staple of Harden since joining the Nets. Although his score dropped from the absurd levels he reached in Houston, he averaged 11.1 assists per game, the best in the NBA, since joining the Nets, with 8.4 rebounds per contest.
“We have to implement the phrase ‘get used’,” said Irving of Harden’s brilliance since joining the Nets.
“When James is being James, our job gets a lot easier,” said Irving. “And then we have to get used to someone special like that, things like that in terms of breaking records. So, I can’t wait to be next to him, my name in Nets history – and all the guys on our team where we’re just breaking records as a team, and then individually we’re stacking up some of the best we’ve ever played. “
This approach has yielded significant dividends for a Nets team that has not been at full strength for some time. Kevin Durant has lost 11 of Brooklyn’s last 12 games, but despite a tough start, the Nets have now won nine of their last 10 games with Harden in charge. He has also scored seven triple-doubles since joining Brooklyn.
This put Harden, almost unthinkably, back into the MVP conversation. Known primarily for his exploits in isolation, Harden adjusted to meet the needs of his new team, sacrificing his own score for the sake of his teammates. The Nets are thriving as a result, and when Durant returns, they will be able to dispute the title of best attack in NBA history.