As the Golden State Warriors take on the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, expect two-time MVP Stephen Curry to go one-on-one with James Harden in some possessions. Curry acknowledged this fact and commented on the difficulty in guarding Harden.
As reported by Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Curry observed that Harden is an expert at drawing fouls.
Steph Curry on the difficulty of guarding James Harden without fouling: "Can't reach. Whether it's a foul or not, he makes it look like a foul. There's an art to that."
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 14, 2018
In the regular season, Harden led the league with 10.1 free throw attempts per contest, draining 8.7 of them. His ability to shoot effortlessly from the outside and slash to the hoop has forced the defense to play him honestly. Giving Harden space is enough for him to get a good look at the basket. Pressuring him, on the other hand, will make it easy for him to blow by his defender.
We can expect the Rockets to force Curry into switches for him to guard Harden. Curry has always been the target of offenses as his size and built has become a liability on defense.
Though Curry said that he will try his best not to reach in and risk committing a foul, Harden has proven time and time again that he's the best at drawing fouls. Expect Curry to acquire a foul or two once he matches up against him.
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