James Harden says scoring streak is 'something I have to do to give us a chance'
Houston Rockets star James Harden isn’t scoring 30 points every night because he can, he’s doing it because he doesn’t have a choice. According to the 29-year-old Harden, his historic scoring streak hasn’t continued because he’s trying to break records, it’s happened because it’s necessary, according to ESPN.
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Harden told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols the scoring streak started because the team was hit by injuries, but he doesn’t focus on the streak now that it’s become a major talking point.
“I think the scoring streak is obviously amazing, but it’s just something that I had to do because of our situation. We had all the injuries and guys in and out of lineups. I think the streak just started happening, and now it’s something to talk about, but it’s not something that I’m really, honestly focused on. That’s something that I have to do in order to give us a chance to win the game.”
Harden has scored at least 30 points in 31 straight games. That ties Harden with Wilt Chamberlain for the second-longest 30-point streak in NBA history. Harden has a long way to go if he hopes to break that record. Chamberlain scored 30 points in 65 consecutive games during the 1961-62 season.
To Harden’s point, the team was hit by injuries pretty hard early on. Chris Paul, Clint Capela, James Ennis and Eric Gordon have all missed time during Harden’s streak.
With those players sidelined at different times, and Carmelo Anthony failing to make an impact, the team struggled early. When Harden started his scoring streak, the Rockets were just 12-14. Since then, the team has gone 21-10, and currently sits in the fifth spot in the Western Conference.
Some have criticized the way Harden plays the game, but it does appear to be working for the Rockets right now. While getting Harden the ball in isolation and letting him do his thing may not be a championship-winning strategy, the Rockets have to make it to the postseason first if they hope to win it all.
Thanks to Harden stepping up, the Rockets have a pretty good shot at the playoffs. They can worry about changing things up when another team finally proves it can stop Harden.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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