James Harden makes point of sacrificing his game for Nets’ Big 3

When James Harden joined the Nets a month in the past, he and Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the opposite two members of the Huge 3, all swore they’d put their egos apart and make sacrifices for the great of a staff with designs on profitable an NBA title.

Nobody has altered his enjoying fashion greater than Harden. He received the previous three league scoring titles as a high-volume shooter however has emerged with the Nets as an outstanding playmaker who’s averaging an NBA-leading 11.2 assists per recreation and has hit double-digits in that class in 12 of 14 video games with the Nets.

After their dominant 134-117 victory at Golden State on Saturday night time, Irving described a dialog he and Harden had at a latest apply that was telling.

“I simply checked out him and I stated, ‘You’re the purpose guard and I’m going to play capturing guard,’ ” Irving stated. “That was so simple as that. So he’s been taking management of the obligations and doing an unbelievable job.”

Harden stated the alternate got here throughout a apply during which coach Steve Nash was placing Harden in management out excessive and asking him to direct his teammates to the suitable spots, and he has embraced that playmaking mentality.

He averaged 34.3 factors on 22.9 pictures per recreation with the Rockets final season however is averaging 23.0 factors per recreation on 14.6 pictures per recreation with the Nets.

“I got here to this staff realizing they’ve two particular scorers,” Harden stated. “Clearly, I can rating once I must, however so long as I get everyone concerned and Ky is getting the pictures that he desires, KD is getting the pictures he desires, it’s fairly environment friendly and appears to work effectively that means.”

At Golden State, Harden had 19 factors on 11 pictures plus 16 assists and Irving scored 23 on 17 pictures and added 4 assists. Within the Nets’ 42-point third quarter, Irving scored 9 factors on a team-high seven pictures and so they constructed a 28-point lead.

“Kyrie’s an unbelievable scorer,” Harden stated. “He can rating from anyplace on the ground . . . That third quarter, he was simply tremendous, super-aggressive, and that’s what pushed the lead up.”

Durant way back performed with Harden on the Thunder and isn’t stunned by what he has completed however appreciates the adjustment he has made.

“He’s simply all the time performed this manner,” Durant stated. “Whenever you’ve received guys that may rating the basketball, that dissipate a whole lot of the clock, dissipate a whole lot of the basketball — me and Kyrie — he’s simply choosing and selecting his spots effectively.

“However he’s nonetheless being the identical participant, flattening pictures, being a shot-maker. However once you’ve received two different guys on the market, typically alternatives may not be as a lot as they have been prior to now for James.”

The Nets received balanced scoring with six gamers in double figures at Golden State, and that’s what they want, beginning Monday night time in Sacramento. That was to be the seventh recreation during which all the Huge 3 have performed collectively, however Durant now’s out with a strained hamstring.

When requested what the changes every has made since becoming a member of forces present in regards to the Huge 3’s dedication to sacrificing for one another, Irving stated, “We don’t wish to take our greatness with no consideration. We wish to maintain one another accountable to achieve one other stage in the long run.

“This West Coast journey . . . we’re simply making an attempt to construct some camaraderie on the market and simply have enjoyable dominating. We sit up for persevering with to have performances the place we perceive that we’ve got to sacrifice, every one in all us, with the intention to be at our highest potential as a staff. We’re not known as upon to only be the principle guys. We’ve received to sacrifice, and it’s enjoyable.”

Greg Logan has labored for Newsday since 1982 masking a big selection of sports activities and occasions, presently together with the Brooklyn Nets beat.