HOUSTON — Fear the Beard?
Sure. Just be sure not to foul the darn thing.
While Klay Thompson’s shooting bonanza earned credit for the late-game turnaround in Game 6, an unsung factor was the way the Warriors played disciplined defense against the Houston Rockets, and especially against James Harden, their bearded scoring machine.
With his head fakes (and occasional theatrics), no one in the NBA is better at drawing contact. Harden led the league in free-throw attempts during the regular season, his fourth consecutive season atop that category. But as the game swung late Saturday night, the whistles fell silent — and the crowd got loud.