James Harden Explains Motivation for Strong Defense vs. Pacers

James Harden had several reasons to be motivated for his strong defensive play against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

Being in the NBA since 2009, James Harden has become one of the league’s most notable stars for the value he brings to his teams on the offensive end of the ball.

Defensively, however, Harden is a player that teams might typically target. Teams going at scoring stars when they’re on the defensive end of the floor isn’t unusual in the NBA. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising to see the Indiana Pacers utilize that kind of strategy against Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers during their Wednesday night matchup.

Harden recognized the situation and understood he was a defensive target for Indiana’s offensive attack — and as a result — the ten-time All-Star admitted he took that personally.

“Yea, for sure,” Harden responded when asked if being targeted on defense motivated him. “They got me one time, but if a guy is up there dribbling the ball 15 times, I feel like I’m on an island, so I just had to man up and get some stops. I think I did a solid job.”

You could argue that Wednesday’s defensive performance against the Pacers was Harden’s best of the season. As the Pacers attempted to create mismatches down the stretch as they looked to complete a second-half comeback, Harden was up for the challenge and found success.

Late in the one and only overtime period of Wednesday’s game, Harden had the opportunity to gain a three-point lead with two free throws after getting fouled. Surprisingly, Harden missed both of his attempts. The Pacers had a chance to gain a lead with seconds left on the clock, but a James Harden block on defense prevented Indiana from getting out in front late.

 “I had to make up for it,” Harden said, mentioning the missed free throws. “Uncharacteristic. I missed two free throws. I had to make a stop, and I tried to make a play on the ball, but they play extremely fast. I know they’re the number one paced team in the league, but out there playing against them, there’s no time off. There’s no relax, breaks, or anything.”

Harden’s block led to an intentional foul in favor of Philadelphia. Sending Tobias Harris to the line for two free throws, the Sixers gained a 129-126 lead with just four seconds left to play. After a missed three-point attempt on the final possession of the game, the Sixers wrapped up the night with a victory and nothing but praise for their star’s defense against a talented Pacers squad. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.