James Harden Was Called For Two Lane Violations In A Row In A Loss To The Cavs

Refs finally cracked down on James Harden Saturday night, but it wasn’t for what everybody thinks it would be. The refs made a point of emphasis on one possession with Harden involving not a travel, or flopping, but lane violations. Apparently, Harden was too often stepping over the line before the shot was completed for the refs liking in the Rockets’ 117-108 loss to the Cavs on Saturday night.

It was odd to see. Two times in a row Harden was called for a violation that many would argue could be called on every single free throw. Players commonly step over the line before a shot has gone in, but it’s usually only called when it’s apparent the player is trying to grab a rebound. Harden’s shots were both within his follow through.

By the letter of the rule, the refs’ calls were both correct on Harden, who had a rough night all-around (despite his 40-point effort) as he witnessed Collin Sexton set a career-high 29 points in a win over Houston. Harden clearly steps over the free throw line before the ball has made contact with the rim on both free throw attempts. If you’re someone that believes every rule should be followed to the highest degree then there’s no problem here. If you’re someone that would prefer some more leniency and judgment on how fouls are applied then this seems a little ridiculous.

Personally, I fall more on the latter half of this, but I don’t have an issue with the refs choosing to ding Harden on a lane violation. Maybe they had warned him previously, although it still seems like a random time to decide to apply that rule when you could probably go back through this game and find multiple instances of it happening and going uncalled. It’s an odd decision by the refs, but not a wholly incorrect one.