LeBron James, James Harden Scuffle: Video, Comments and Reaction
The officials in the Cleveland Cavaliers-Houston Rockets game Sunday afternoon gave players a lot of leeway, and things often got chippy between the two teams, notably between LeBron James and James Harden.
At one point, James and Harden got into it after James attempted to force a jump ball by tying up Harden. Harden seemed to take exception, and as the Rockets guard laid on the ground, he appeared to kick James in the groin. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle revealed on Monday that Harden will be suspended one game (against the Atlanta Hawks) for the incident.
You can take a look at the scuffle here:
Harden picked up a flagrant foul but wasn't ejected. Corey Brewer and Tristan Thompson also earned technical fouls in the scrappy aftermath, which led the Houston Rockets to tweet this:
Some wondered why Harden was allowed to keep playing. LeBron spoke about the play after the game, per Bleacher Report's Ethan J. Skolnick:
Jason Page countered that the apparent kick only looked bad because LeBron made the most of it:
Skolnick noted that Harden may not be completely in the clear with just the flagrant foul call:
Netw3rk found a certain amount of irony in Harden taking exception to physical play since so much of his game is predicated on getting inside and earning foul calls:
It was evident how much James and Harden relished the opportunity to go up against the other. Both are locked in a tight MVP race, and Sunday's game was a nationwide showcase for each star in that regard. Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group felt the two more than delivered on the court:
Michael Vick was one of many fans at home thoroughly enthralled by the head-to-head matchup of superstars:
James finished with more points (37) than Harden (33), but Harden got the last laugh. LeBron went 3-of-11 from the foul line and missed two critical free throws that could've tied the game in overtime or given the Cavs the lead. Instead, the Rockets walked away with a hard-fought 105-103 victory.
