Dribbling hard to his left, then spinning toward the paint before stepping back and releasing the ball, the Houston Rockets’ James Harden sunk both the shot and the favorite Golden State Warriors with a midrange jumper with 2.7 ticks remaining on the clock on Thursday night.
Sure, the Warriors were without MVP Stephen Curry. And yeah, Golden State was already up in the series, 2-0. But as Harden side-galloped down the hardwood after hitting that shot, little else seemed to matter -- the Rockets had taken the lead, 97-96, and Harden was yet again The Hero.
Don’t tell that to the rest of the Rockets team, though. A group of guys known for lacking any and all chemistry and for showing little to no amiability toward each other all year, most of the Houston players look muted, downtrodden -- crestfallen, almost? -- as the camera panned to them after their superstar drilled the game winner.
There were 2.7 seconds left, Generic Houston Fan says. They were just playing it cool! They didn’t want to seem cocky, Typical Rockets Devotee adds.
Well, friends, that hasn’t stopped literally any other bench ever from celebrating early. And since we're talking about a club supposedly fraught with fraying friendships, this latest clip does nothing to disprove the whispers that all is not well in Houston.
Related
Before You Go
