What is this fantastic wizardry you possess, Coach D’Antoni? While this is no type of sorcery which has gone on to be everlasting, untouchable, and extensively flawless, it is still a quite impressive display of witchcraft that you have exhibited before the NBA for parts of a span that stretches over ten years. Yes, stints with the Knicks and the Lakers may have ended in circumstances that were less than ideal, but hey, maybe this is a niche set of black magic that you carry with you, only applicable with the correct elements present. “Seven Seconds or Less” (a fast-paced play style that stresses getting a shot up with less than seven seconds off the shot clock) may not be for everyone, but James Harden is definitely not everyone, and it works for him.
For current Houston Rockets Head Coach Mike D’Antoni’s first trick, he turned a serviceable starting point guard into a back-to-back league MVP. Steve Nash went from a solid starter for the Mavericks, part of a respected trio that included Michael Finley and Dirk Nowitzki, yet he was always hanging in the shadows of a young Nowitzki, a new, shiny object for the NBA. Nash decided to sign with the Suns, D’Antoni became the head coach part way through Nash’s first year in Phoenix, and “Seven Seconds or Less” was born.
To be fair, D’Antoni and Nash didn’t work in a vacuum. They were accompanied by a just-emerging Amare Stoudemire (borderline Hall of Famer) and Joe Johnson (eventually left the Suns to be a number one option, became a consistent 20 ppg scorer and one of the more clutch players in the league throughout his career), along with Quintin Richardson, one of the best 3-point shooters at the time, evidenced by his status as 3-Point Shootout champion in 2005, one of Nash’s MVP seasons.
D’Antoni tried to take “Seven Seconds or Less” to New York and Los Angeles, and since hindsight is 20/20, it’s fair to say the personnel didn’t fit. Enter James Harden. James Harden has taken his game to another level this season under the tutelage of D’Antoni. A ballhandling shooting guard for the duration of his career, Harden was moved to a point guard role since the beginning of this season, thanks to D’Antoni, and the results didn’t take long to show. Harden appears to be getting the Steve Nash treatment.
Harden is averaging 28.5 ppg (7 points above his career average), 8.2 rpg (nearly 4 rebounds above career average) and 12.8 apg (more than doubling his career average of 5.1 apg). He’s accomplishing these eye-popping numbers while only averaging 3 more minutes per game above his career average. He’s an early season candidate for MVP. Sound familiar? A player with a certain set of skills and level of success taking a big leap in a short period of time with D’Antoni at the helm. Nash was nice, but he wasn’t the fastest, most athletic, or most explosive. The theory with D’Antoni was “could you imagine what he would do with someone with more skills?” That led to chances, and eventual failures in New York and Los Angeles. But could we see another match made in heaven with this new D’Antoni-Harden? Early indications are yes. As always with sports, just sit back and enjoy the show. But don’t look away, that jumper is going up in “Seven Seconds or Less.”
