James Harden Know Time is of The Essences

Los Angeles Clippers star guard James Harden has had a remarkable 16-season career in the NBA. Throughout his time in the league, he has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Clippers.

During these 16 seasons, Harden has achieved numerous accolades, including being named the NBA MVP in 2018. He has also been selected as an NBA All-Star 11 times, led the league in assists twice, and earned NBA first-team honors six times, among other achievements.

However, despite his impressive resume, there is one thing that James Harden has yet to accomplish: winning an NBA Championship. After watching Harden’s Clippers play against the Utah Jazz, it became clear that winning an NBA Championship is at the top of his priority list.

While I won’t focus on his standard performance of 32 points and 10 assists, what stood out to me was that Harden played 49 minutes— the most on his team—and requested Head Coach Tyrone Lue to keep him in the game during the 120-116 overtime victory.

With the All-Star break approaching, James Harden viewed the game against the Jazz as a must-win. The Minnesota Timberwolves were closely trailing the Clippers for the 6th spot in the Western Conference, and a loss would have placed the Clippers a half-game behind them. Aware of this, Harden emphasized in his post-game interview that “tonight’s win was a must-win.” He wanted his team to enter the All-Star break on a positive note and maintain their lead over the Timberwolves in the standings.

For all the NBA fans who believe that all veteran stars are simply coasting to the playoffs and disregard the significance of the regular season, I encourage you to have a conversation with James Harden.