Sweat drips in a leaky faucet fashion from Harden’s famous beard. As I approach James, recorder in hand, he plunges his left hand under his chin and pulls out a Halloween sized Snickers treat. He sits down next to me, peeling the slightly moist wrapping off of his nougat filled treat with a satisfied grin peeking out from behind the hair.

“No matter what they say, this shit’s good”.

Harden is referring to his miniature candy, but he may as well have answered my first question regarding public perception of his recent scoring outbursts. Harden just became only the third player in the last thirty years to eclipse 400 points in only 10 games, joining Kobe and MJ. “Nothing to scoff at, huh?” asks Harden through a mouthful of candy.

After a dreadfully slow start to the season the Houston Rockets have found their footing despite injuries to Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony’s quick burnout from the team. Truthfully, it’s been Harden who has been assaulting the stat sheet and helping the Rockets pile up wins. He’s undeniably been on a tear, but it seems his critics are louder than ever, perhaps trying to stymie a repeat MVP campaign. While Giannis is firmly in the driver’s seat, Harden has reasserted himself in the conversation by putting Houston back in the playoff race with his crazy scoring outbursts. It’s come at the expense of his public perception, already a polarizing topic.

“I had to get back to the basics” remarks Harden, “Honestly I just wasn’t doing a good job faking my own death after I’d been brushed by a strand of Ricky Rubio’s remarkably soft hair”. Harden has renewed his efforts of getting back to the free throw line, and it’s paying off in a big way. This commitment to flailing his arms like a grandmother slipping on a patch of ice is only outdone by Harden’s ability to push the boundaries of the NBA rulebook.

“At first it was two, maybe three steps, but defenses were starting to adjust to that” recalls Harden. “I had to grow as a player and push myself if I wanted my name amongst the greats, if that means I have to take six or seven steps without dribbling to launch a thirty foot jump shot then that’s what I’ll do”. I bring up the recent outcry against his perceived cheating in plain sight.

 

“That’s all just noise to me” says James. “I’d like to see if anyone on this planet could guard me”. Harden isn’t concerned with what his haters are saying as he tries to get Houston back in the playoffs and himself back on the Maurice Podloff trophy.

Harden throws his Snickers wrapper in the clearly marked compost bin as he exits the room. “I get buckets, man” Harden mutters under his breath.