West Conf. Finals - Game 1: Golden State Warriors 119-106 Houston Rockets - 5 Talking Points

#3 James Harden balls out

James Harden

The Beard was almost unstoppable in this one. Harden finished with 41 Points on 58.3% shooting and 7 Assists, the 3rd series in a row in which he's had 40+ in Game 1. He had it going from the start, drilling 3s and getting to the basket at will. He especially went after Curry, whose lack of defense might well be the only area the Rockets can exploit against Golden State. Not even a hit to the midsection in the 1st quarter could slow him down. Harden went out of the game for a while but still ended up with 24 points at the half.

He did slow down just a little bit in the 2nd half, but that was expected. He was having to shoulder both the scoring and playmaking role for the Rockets and to top it off, was guarding Durant for stretches in the game. It's too much responsibility on one guy, especially someone like Harden who expends a lot of energy dribbling on offense. They'll probably have to switch things around a bit for Game 2.