James Harden attacks basket and again gets to foul line for Nets

So much has been made of the NBA’s new definition of what constitutes a shooting foul and the impact the rule change has had on James Harden’s game that the Nets’ superstar has grown loathe to talk about it. Coach Steve Nash called Harden the "poster boy" for a rule that prevents awarding a foul to a player who makes a non-basketball move to draw contact, and Harden even admitted he felt a "stigma" was attached to him.

But over the past five games, Harden suddenly has regained his ability to draw fouls and get to the line for at least 11 free throws in four of those games. He had a season-high 20 free throws, making 19, in a 36-point effort, and every point was vital in Friday’s 115-113 Nets victory over the Magic to gain first place in the Eastern Conference with a 12-5 record.

But when Harden was asked in the postgame news conference if he has seen a change in the officiating, he waved off the question. "I don’t want to talk about officiating," Harden said. "I’m just trying to attack the basket."

Attacking the basket really is the key not only to Harden’s game but also to the Nets’ offense. They are most effective when he drives into the paint and either scores or draws the defense and creates for others.

At the start of the season, the focus was on Harden bringing up his arms in a way to create contact — a non-basketball move. Nash argued that many defenders had an arm across Harden’s body to prevent him from bringing the ball up toward the basket, which is a legitimate foul. Now, it seems Nash’s viewpoint has prevailed.

In the first 12 games, Harden shot six or fewer foul shots 11 times, reaching double-digits once. In the past five games, he reached double-digits four times and made 57 of 63 free throws. The impact on his scoring average has been profound. He’s averaging 21.2 points this season but 28.4 over the past five games, and by the way, he is converting a career-high 89.1% at the line.

Harden’s foul shooting was a critical component of the Nets’ comeback from a 19-point deficit against the Magic while playing without Kevin Durant, who rested a sprained right shoulder. Nash agreed the officials have adjusted.

"I do think the referees are starting to figure out what’s still a basketball foul and what a non-basketball play is," Nash said. "Early it was difficult for them to know where the line was. He’s such a difficult guy to cover with his size, speed, quickness and ability to shoot over anyone from three that [defenders] have to get close to him.

"Then, he’s so strong that once he gets a step on you, it’s almost impossible not to foul him because it’s either get out of the way or draw contact. That’s what makes him brilliant is his ability to penetrate, to take contact and to dictate what happens when that contact happens."

Maybe Harden doesn’t want to jinx it by talking about it, but the officials are allowing James Harden to be James Harden again.

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.