Granted, Harden was playing against what appeared to be the same old lowly-Pistons team we’ve come to know over the years, but it doesn’t change the fact that his stat line is absolutely incredible by any standard. In fact, J.A. Adande of ESPN has details on just how rare of a night Harden really had:
Harden scored 37 points and had 12 assists in helping the Rockets rally and then pull away in the fourth quarter. The Elias Sports Bureau noted that he was the first player in NBA history to hit both of those benchmarks in his first game with a new team. His 37 points are tied for the second-most by any player in his debut after changing teams, in NBA history. There are all sorts of absurd statistical combinations emanating from Harden’s performance. They include such things as how Harden is the first Rocket to hit the 37/12 benchmark since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994-95. The coolest of those stats may be this one:
In the past 25 seasons, four players have had games with at least 37 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 1 blocked shot. The fearsome foursome are Michael Jordan (1988-89 Chicago Bulls), Larry Bird (1991-92 Boston Celtics), Dwyane Wade (2008-09 Miami Heat) and Harden on opening night.
Afterwards, Harden had the following to say about his new team, from Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld:
He certainly isn’t shy about using the term “special”, but to his credit, something special did happen. Harden connected with last season’s sensation Jeremy Lin. He willingly found teammates en route to 12 assists while still getting anything he wanted offensively. What’s amazing about the performance is that he has spent virtually no time with anyone on the team. He had no business being this good, this fast. Not to overreact after just one game, but what he displayed tonight probably opened up the eyes of many – if not most – of just how good he may be.
Though Harden likely didn’t mean it this way, the Rockets do have something special now: a max-contract player who appears to be ready to actually play like one.
Tweet of the Night: Kris Humphries