On Saturday night in Oakland, California, the reigning NBA MVP takes on the reigning champs. This marks the 17th time the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets have squared off since 2016-17, and looking back at the data from those games provides a fascinating glimpse into one of the NBA's most high-profile matchups: James Harden vs. the Warriors' defense.
The Rockets love to isolate Harden, but when they play Golden State, it's more accurate to say that they love to isolate him against Stephen Curry. Over the past three seasons, nobody has switched onto Harden as much as Curry, and that's no accident.