A week full of high-intensity sessions would be the ideal preparation for the resumption of sports. Harden wanted to work out two, three times a day, mixing in different techniques and specific drills curtailed to his style of play. The hiatus had caught him off guard, but the return wouldn’t. “He wanted to make sure everything was amped up,” Polk said. “We kind of approached everything as if the league was about to start — if he had to go play a playoff game tomorrow.”