After giving the Minnesota Timberwolves a bad beating during Monday’s 119-100 win in Game 4 of their first-round series, Houston Rockets hotshot James Harden gave a fan something he’ll remember for the rest of his life: a pair of game-worn shoes.
According to Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle, a Rockets fan made a trip of a lifetime to go and watch Houston play live in Minneapolis on Monday. When Harden learned of the fan’s sacrifice just to see him and the Rockets, he did not hesitate to hand him his sneakers.
Meng-Han Yang made the 7,138-mile trek from Taiwan to see his favorite NBA team play for the first time Monday night at the Target Center. The 23-year-old student at National Taiwan University in Taipei, who became a Rockets fan during the Yao Ming-Tracy McGrady days, said the trip is expensive, “But it's the playoffs.”
After the Rockets' 119-100 win on Monday night, James Harden tossed his sneakers to Yang in the crowd.
Apart from the shoes, Harden also has Yang a show that he’ll surely remember for a long time, as the bearded scoring machine poured in 36 points, including a franchise playoff record-setting 22 markers in the third quarter. Chris Paul, meanwhile, had 25 points to help Harden in the backcourt.
Solomon also notes that Yang will watch the Rockets try to close out the series in Houston this Wednesday.
Yang, who is staying with a former high school classmate in Minneapolis, will be in Houston for Game 5, then return home on Sunday.
The Rockets are 9-1 in their last 10 games at Toyota Center.