On Wednesday the Bucks managed to defeat the Rockets 116-109 despite James Harden dropping 42 points and 11 rebounds on them. Slowing down Harden has been very difficult this season and for the Bucks it was no different, but Giannis Antetokounmpo did try out something nobody had seen before. If you can’t stop Harden from scoring then there’s only one thing to do and that’s blast him in the head with an errant pass.
Harden was, of course, okay, but you can’t say it didn’t have an impact on the Bucks eventual victory. Even if Harden was okay physically this surely gave the Bucks an edge on the mental side of the ball, not to mention the Rockets star went just 4-for-11 from the field after getting beaned by Giannis.
After the game, Harden was asked if he saw the pass coming. His response? “Hell no! That sh*t hurt.”
Harden is taking it all in good stride and laughing the pass off which is good. He understands that sometimes an errant pass happens and, if you’re in the way of that pass, you might have to take a shot to the face sometimes. He’s a tough guy that can definitely power through it.
Harden needs to watch out though. Other teams may think the secret to beating the Rockets is via throwing the basketball straight at his head and that could turn him into a target. On the plus side, if teams do try that he’ll be ready for it and can just start a fastbreak the other direction. Always keep your head on a swivel.
