The Houston Rockets are in the thick of an ultra-competitive playoff race in the Western Conference this season, and they have stayed in the hunt despite the fact that star center Dwight Howard has missed several games because of injuries.
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The reason Houston can compete with anyone is because of their elite offensive play. Houston is known for taking only the most efficient shots, shooting lots of threes and layups and avoiding the midrange almost entirely. At the center of their offense is their star shooting guard, James Harden.
Not only does Harden perfectly embody Houston's offensive mentality, as he shoots almost exclusively near the rim, behind the arc, or at the free throw line, but he has also thrust himself into the discussion for Most Valuable Player this season.
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According to ESPN, one of Harden's old teammates thinks that he is the favorite. "For sure. He's the best player in basketball right now," said Chandler Parsons, who left Houston for Dallas in free agency last offseason. "The things he's doing are incredible. The scouting report is focused in on stopping him and you see he's still getting 30 a game. It's impressive."
Harden is averaging 27.6 points per game, which is tops in the league. He is also averaging 5.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 2.0 steals.
"Right now, there's nobody playing better basketball on the planet," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said.
"It doesn't really surprise me," Parsons said before his Mavericks fell to the Rockets on Wednesday. "I saw firsthand how talented he is. He works extremely hard. He's playing better defense this year. He's leading their team. He's hitting tough shots. There's not much he's not doing.
"I'm happy for him. Obviously, I don't want him to play well tonight, but I'm happy how he's playing."
Highlights of the Houston-Dallas game are below.
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