Cavs Loss in Game 1 Illustrates Rockets' Reason for Passing on James Harden

James Harden is one of the greatest players in the history of the Houston Rockets franchise. In fact, some people have him ahead of Hakeem Olajuwon, who is easily and undeniably one of the greatest players in NBA history.

And there's a case to be made. Even if you disagree with the take.

Harden was an MVP finalist on five different occasions and single-handedly carried the Rockets to eight consecutive postseason appearances and five 50-win seasons.

Harden backpacked the Rockets to four consecutive top-four conference finishes and six in total, irrespective of the surrounding cast. Harden left his mark on the Rockets' record books and is generally regarded as one of the league's greatest isolation scorers, leading the league in scoring three different times.

Since being traded in 2021, Harden has sported four different uniforms and has never missed the postseason. Harden and the Rockets have flirted with a reunion on numerous occasions, first in 2023, when the Rockets' brass decided to instead sign Fred VanVleet.

This past season, Harden and his camp tried to spin the block and reunite with his ex once more, as the Rockets found themselves in need of a floor general, with Fred VanVleet out for the season with a torn ACL. The Rockets passed on Harden's overtures once again.

It's not exactly a surprise, either, as Rockets cosch Ime Udoka is deep-rooted on the defensive end of the floor.

The decision was a polarizing one, as the fanbase was divided. To many, bringing back the franchise icon should have been a no-brainer.

Especially because of his ability to up-level the team on the offensive end, which has been a glaring need. We've seen Houston's offense look beyond stale.

However, not to the point that the Rockets can afford the trade off on the defensive end of the floor. Especially when it's to the extent that we witnessed during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals round between Harden's Cavaliers and the New York Knicks.

Cleveland held a 22 point lead in the fourth quarter, and blew it, etching themselves in the NBA's history books for the wrong reasons. After the game, Knicks coach Mike Brown admitted that New York's focus was to target Harden on defense.

The data backs that up. Harden was the screener defender on 21 on-ball picks during both the fourth quarter and overtime periods and the Knicks scored 1.6 points per action on those possessions. Jalen Brunson went 7-of-11 with Harden as the primary defender, compared to 8-of-18 when defended by essentially anyone else.

Even Dean Wade, Harden's teammate, held Brunson to 6 points on 1-of-15 shooting during each of the three regular season matches between the Cavs and Knicks. Sure, the stakes aren't nearly as great during the regular season compared to the Conference Finals but you get the point.

Harden's defense down the stretch was costly for the Cavs (although the loss certainly can't be solely contributed to him, as there were othe factors). Which is likely one of the major reasons for the Rockets choosing to pass on Harden, in spite of how great he still clearly can be on the offensive end,

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