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Steph Curry: James Harden Draws Fouls Like An Artist

James Harden, Steph Curry, NBA
Feb 17, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (left) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry during Team Stephen practice at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Rockets guard James Harden is the odds-on favorite to win NBA MVP, but not everyone loves the way he plays the game. For instance, Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell ripped him for going to exhaustive lengths to sell foul calls after the Jazz dropped Game 4 in the second round.

Here’s an example of the Beard’s mastery at drawing fouls:

His propensity for getting to the line mystified the rookie.

Curry’s Scouting Report of Harden

Harden is a dead-eye free-throw shooter (86 percent in the regular season), so he makes teams pay for fouling him. Heading into the Western Conference Finals, his foe Steph Curry is fully aware of the challenge ahead of his squad.

Though Curry commented on defending the Rockets’ star, it’s unlikely the two-time MVP will draw this defensive assignment. Expect the Warriors to line up their two best perimeter defenders, Klay Thompson and veteran Andre Iguodala, with the Beard.

Curry knows the Rockets will attempt to get him to switch onto Harden or Chris Paul. He seems excited for the challenge.

The Warriors and Rockets will begin their series Monday at 9 p.m. EST on TNT.

Written by Aaron Mansfield

Aaron Mansfield is a freelance sports writer. His work has appeared in Complex, USA Today and the New York Times. Mansfield is a PhD candidate at UMass Amherst.

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