R.G.'s Two Pennies: James Harden must be 'LeBron'-like vs Warriors in Game 7

Perennial All-Star and All-NBA First Team shooting guard James Harden led the Houston Rockets squadron to an amazingly successful 65-win regular season in 2017-18, scoring a little over 30 points and almost nine assists per game in 72 contests, and is the frontrunner for the league's Most Valuable Player award. But with the dramatic loss of veteran point guard and co-leader Chris Paul late in Game 5 due to a badly sprained hamstring, it's an urgent 'must' that Harden goes full-throttle in Game 7 against Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and the defending world champion Golden State Warriors in the friendly confines of their Toyota Center home court.

I think J.Hard must be at least 'LeBron James'-like in his approach to this pivotal seventh game of the Western Conference finals. That means playing 40+ minutes, producing a strong 'Triple Double' stat line and playing maniacal defense - along with of course the much-needed help from his Rocket teammates in order to have a chance to dethrone the mighty Bay Area b-ballers. If James Harden desires to put his stamp on his incredible individual season and solidify his MVP status, he MUST be in 'monsta-mode' and led the Houston Rockets to their first West Finals crown since winning it all in 1995 and face 'King' LeBron James and the defending four-time Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

*THE DENVER NUGGETS, POST-CARMELO ANTHONY*

Thursday, 2/24/2K11

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics 89-75, ending the last 6:05 of the game on a 16-0 run to seal the victory. Kenyon Martin scored 18 points & grabbed 10 boards despite playing with flu-like symptoms. Newest Nugget Wilson Chandler scored 16 points in his debut. The other former NY Knicks Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari & Timofey Mozgov also made their Denver debuts as well. With the loss of an offensive super-talent like Carmelo Anthony, the new look Nuggets will now be transformed into a more defensive-oriented team. There's a ton of talent now in place at every position & without Carmelo Anthony, I think Coach George Karl will do a nice job getting these players to play extra hard & solidify their playoff standing in the Western Conference.