The game between the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 1 was not a do-or-die match but it had the elements of drama in it since it featured James Harden of the Rockets and LeBron James of the Cavaliers, the MVP contenders for the current NBA season.
The Rockets is running third in the Western Conference with a 41-18 win-loss slate, while the Cavaliers is at fourth spot in the Eastern Conference with its very precarious 37-24 win-loss mark.
Houston won the game via a thrilling 105-103 overtime victory over Cleveland but the victory came with a price for the Rockets.
Its star player James Harden got suspended for the team’s next game with the Atlanta Hawks on March 3.
Kick in the groin
The NBA meted the Houston Rockets guard with a one-game suspension because he kicked LeBron James in the groin during their match on Sunday, reports USA Today.
The kicking incident happened with 2:08 remaining in the third quarter. While Harden and James were fighting for the ball and Harden down on the floor, the Houston Rockets guard hit LeBron James below the belt with his foot and was eventually called by the referees for a flagrant foul 1.
Under the NBA rules, flagrant foul 1 does not require an ejection. However Rod Thorn, NBA president of basketball operations upgraded the call to a flagrant foul 2 automatically drawing for Harden the one-game suspension.
Had Harden been slapped a flagrant foul 2 during the game instead of after, he would have been automatically ejected from the game and the result of the match could have been different.
Rod Thorn decided to look into the incident after a fuming LeBron James said after the game that Harden’s kick was not a basketball play and that the league would probably look into it. And the NBA did.
Elevating his game
James Harden has been elevating his game during the entire season and he always takes it a notch higher in games with 0.500 ballclubs.
After the win over Cleveland, Harden said that it is in such games that their team finds a way to win and it has been the motto of the Rockets the entire season.
Faced against and Cavaliers and LeBron James, who is regarded as the best player in the NBA today, James Harden showed that he can match up with the King. Notwithstanding the kick in the groin, Harden’s game was splendid, which justify why he is the league’s frontrunner for MVP at the moment.
Harden finished the game with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assist, three steals and two shot blocks. His fourth quarter and overtime performance proved to be the difference for the Rockets’ victory over the Cavaliers. James finished with 37 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals, and three shot blocks.