The NBA playoffs raises the stakes for games, as well as the scrutiny. James Harden was no stranger to that while dropping 44 points on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.
A video of Harden stepping back for a 3-pointer went viral because Harden clearly traveled on the play but got away with it:
Beard is cookin'
Rockets lead the Wolves, 54-47 at half pic.twitter.com/SAXhxLzE4b
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 16, 2018
Harden clearly sets his pivot foot twice on the step back. This is a travel. #RocketsNation pic.twitter.com/0WYi8wATyF
— Dan Worthington (@danWorthington) April 16, 2018
Superstars have been getting away with borderline calls and arguable favoritism from the league for years, so this is nothing new. Some believe that the intent of the league is to entertain and it’s much more entertaining to let stars do cool things even if they’re bending the rules like that. That’s what makes it so frustrating for opposing defenses, and also what led to some criticism from one famous coach.
