Stephen Curry on James Harden Drawing Foul Calls: 'There's a True Art to That'

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are aware heading into their NBA Western Conference final matchup against the Houston Rockets that James Harden's ability to draw fouls could be an issue. 

"Whether there's a foul or not, he makes it look like a foul," Curry told Kerith Burke of NBCSAuthentic. "There's a true art to that."

According to Dieter Kurtenbach of the Mercury News, Harden has drawn 561 fouls this year between the regular season and playoffs. For context, Warriors' star Kevin Durant has drawn 373 fouls.

"We know that James and Chris [Paul] are two of the craftiest players in the league," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, per Kurtenbach. "If they drive and you want to stick your hand in the cookie jar, they're going to grab your hand and pull on it and the ref is going to give them two free throws."

If the Warriors remain disciplined, however, it could become a major advantage. Referees generally swallow their whistles more in the postseason, allowing the players to play. And if the Warriors can keep the Rockets off the line, they believe it could be a factor in the series.

"It can get very tiring, a guy just looking for iso for 48 minutes. If that's what they want to do, it's fine," Draymond Green said of Houston's style of play. "They're good at what they do—we're not saying that they're not going to get to the free-throw line at all, but if you can minimize that to four to six free throws as opposed to 11 to 14 free throws, that can be the difference in the game."

The Rockets and Warriors matchup represents a clash in styles. The Rockets will run a lot of iso and pick-and-roll action for Harden and Paul, hoping they break down their defender for an easy layup or a kick-out three if the defense helps. The Warriors, meanwhile, will rely on their ball movement and transition offense, keeping the ball in motion rather than allowing it to stagnate with one player per possession.

Both styles have proved difficult to stop, and it wouldn't be surprising if the series came down to which team was more disciplined on the defensive end. The Warriors aren't going to keep Harden and the Rockets off the line, but if they can avoid giving up cheap fouls, it might be the small edge they need to advance to their fourth straight NBA Finals.