Oscillating from chasing over with drop coverage and switching to blitzing and even mixing in some box-and-one and 2-3 zone, the Pacers threw the entire kitchen sink at James Harden on Wednesday night, attempting to show the world-class scorer as many looks as possible. The only problem was, in appearing mostly unfettered by the constant changes, Brooklyn’s isolation maestro merely turned on the garbage disposal, carving up the cornucopia of coverages for 40 points and 15 assists.
On the one hand, this is what James Harden, as a highly skilled and devastatingly deceptive playmaker, does – especially in the absence of elite wing defenders.