Houston.
Toyota Center.
This is the home court of the Rockets, and the Rockets' final regular season game is being held at the scene. After finishing seventh in the Western Conference, the Rockets' playoff spot is naturally secure.
However, this is far from their original goal.
Their opponent in this game is the Phoenix Suns.
As the second-to-last team in the Western Conference, the Suns are far behind the Rockets in terms of strength and lineup. Therefore, the Rockets maintained their lead with little effort.
After the game entered the second half, the Rockets maintained a double-digit point difference.
On the court.
It was the Rockets' turn to serve again.
Defender Patrick Beverley advanced to the half court with the ball, and James Harden stepped in to respond.
With the basketball in his hands, Harden singled out Suns defenders from beyond the arc.
His rhythm in handling the ball was great. After shaking continuously, he suddenly hit the basket. The Suns players were unexpectedly shaken away by Harden.
Seeing Harden successfully rushing in with the ball and about to take a shot, the Suns' inside line had to come out to cover up the defense.
In this case, Harden chose to throw the ball himself.
Snapped.
The basketball failed to hit the ball and bounced off the basket.
The ball was taken away by the Suns.
In this case, Harden could have run across half-court to return to defense, but he did not do so. Instead, he slowly stood up and pretended to walk over, but in fact allowed the Suns players to fast-break across half-court.
The opponent quickly transferred the ball, passed it twice and sent it to the basket, and then successfully scored a fast break layup.
The fans at the scene didn't react at all. After all, the Rockets were in the lead, but Bickerstaff, the team's head coach, shook his head.
With a look of helplessness, he made a substitution gesture to the referee on the side, and then replaced Harden off the court.
"James, you should go back and defend... We can defend that ball..."
Coach Bickerstaff said.
Harden spread his hands, with a trace of doubt on his face, "Why? Coach, there is no need for us to defend against such a ball, at least for me... Now that we are ahead, we can I won this game very smoothly..."
"It's just a goal, what does it matter? Besides, I'm the star of the team. I don't need to do things like defense. I just need to stand up at critical moments. That's my value... "
When Harden said this, head coach Bickerstaff really had nothing to say.
He took over the team in the middle and late season. As his former team coach, Mike Haier, he was forced to leave because the Rockets' record was not good enough.
Now that he has taken over such a hot potato midway, it is really not a good job for him!
The most important thing is that even if he knows about the problems in the team, as the head coach, he can only turn a blind eye at present.
He has not yet been able to establish enough authority in the team, especially for stars like James Harden. He has not yet had enough authority to convince the other party.
"All right!"
"You go down and rest first!"
"Marcus, you're ready to play..."
After coming off the field, Harden didn't pay attention to the reaction of head coach Bickerstaff. He just sat back on the team bench, and then turned around to chat with his girlfriend Khloe Kardashian.
"Oh! Honey, there will be a party tonight, and many people are going. I hope you can go with me... My friends all want to see you, but they have never seen you. A superstar like you..."
"tonight?"
Harden sounded a little tired, "It's better not to do it! I've been a little tired recently and want to go back and have a good rest...next time! I'll go with you next time. The team has to prepare for the playoffs recently. I'm afraid that if I attend too many events, the reporters will write nonsense again..."
"No... If that's the case, then I won't go either! I'll go home early with you tonight... Dear, I watched a very good movie recently, there are many It’s something new and exciting, do you want to try it together tonight?”
Upon hearing this, Harden's hair almost stood up. Fortunately, his hair was relatively short, so only his beard stood up.
"No, Kohler, I've been a little tired recently. Honey, you know, it's easy to get tired after a season of competition. I just want to have a good rest... so I'd better stop it for the time being... ..."
"James, you weren't like this before...Are you not good enough? If that's the case, forget it..."
As soon as Khloe Kardashian said this, Harden's expression immediately changed, and he held Khloe Kardashian's hand with a look of unwillingness.
"My dear, you succeeded in irritating me! Okay! I'll satisfy you... Let's go back together in the evening..."
"I want you to know what James' anger is..."
The situation on the court did not affect Harden's flirting off the court at all.
And his condition is also noticed by his Rockets teammates, especially his every move with Khloe Kardashian, which has long aroused dissatisfaction among many Rockets players, but it is just because of Harden's leadership. Identity, they never said anything.
Beep.
Soon, the live competition came to an end.
The Rockets did win. Although the difference was only 6 points, it was enough for the Rockets!
The players got up and left one after another. After Harden said hello to Khloe Kardashian, he also got up and walked in the direction of the player tunnel.
As soon as he entered the entrance of the tunnel, a hand came over and put his arm around Harden's shoulder. The person who came was none other than Clint Capela.
He is the team's main striker and plays a very important role in the team. He has a good relationship with James Harden in private, and the two often go to nightclubs together to have fun.
"Hey James, I have something to tell you."
"What?"
"The playoffs are about to start, man, now you gotta rein it in a little bit... you know what I mean?"
Capela's words stunned Harden for a moment, "What exactly do you want to say?"
Capella sighed helplessly.
"I mean you'd better keep your distance from Kohler now! Do you know? Some teammates in the team are very dissatisfied with your behavior. They think you have not fulfilled your responsibilities as a team leader. Some people I hope you can lead the team further..."
Before Capela finished speaking, Harden interrupted him directly.
"What?"
"What does the matter between me and Kohler have to do with other people? What does their dissatisfaction with me have to do with me? Man, I am not a god. I am also a human being and have my own life. It is their business what kind of leader they want to pursue. , I just want to be myself..."
"Even if I fool around with Khloe, it has nothing to do with them. If they don't like it, just leave...Who cares?"
After saying that, Harden left Capela without looking back.
