The Rockets will be without their star guard James Harden, as he will be out for at least 2 weeks due to a grade 2 hamstring strain that the team recently announced on Monday night.
Harden is currently the #1 option for the Rockets but has had his struggles through the last few games as CP3 and others have been out. The Rockets have been playing around injuries all year, and finally got CP3 back. Through the next two weeks, this will be the CP3 show for sure as we will get to see CP3 without a minutes restriction anymore. Harden hasn't missed many games in his career especially in Houston as he has only missed two, and one was a suspension that should have never happened. He has been durable, and thankfully this injury is not as bad as some other injuries to other superstars. One of Harden's strengths is his build as he is able to withstand lots of contact and injuries. Harden is also playing his fewest minutes in a few years as he is at 36 MPG, compared to the 37-38 he played the past few years. The goal is to get Harden some rest, and with the team that was assembled, he is able to do it.
This will affect his MVP case for sure, but I believe MVP is on the back of his head right now as he wants to win it all with CP3. Players know how much it will hurt to lose Harden for a few weeks as CP3 and Ariza have both expressed their comments on how the team will be different with him out. "If James misses time, it is going to be tough. Since I have been here, he's been here, he has been on the court, he has been available. So for him to have to miss time, it would definitely be tough, definitely be an adjustment." said Trevor Ariza after last nights win for the Lakers. Chris Paul also said: "Yeah, we lost our horse" when asked about James' injury as well. This will hurt the team at first, but the goal is to be healthy by playoffs.
