James Harden Says Chris Paul Took Over, Put Rockets on His Back in Game 5 Win

Chris Paul reached his first conference finals Tuesday, and he did it in style. The Houston Rockets guard scored 41 points and dished out 10 assists in his team's 112-102 win over the Utah Jazz at Toyota Center.

James Harden, who struggled all night in an 18-point performance, noticed his co-star's ascent.

"Unbelievable. He went out there and took over the game, especially for an opportunity he's never had before...He put us all on his back," Harden told reporters.

Before reaching the conference finals in his first year with the Rockets, Paul had played the most playoff games in NBA history without getting to the third round. His stints with the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers were ripe with missed opportunities—most notably the Clippers blowing a 3-1 lead to Harden's Rockets in 2015.

Many wondered whether the Harden-Paul duo would work. Whether the two notoriously prickly personalities and ball-dominant guards could get along or even play basketball together.

Suffice it to say things are going well.