Houston Rockets guard James Harden scored a historic 60 points in just three quarters during Saturday’s huge win over Atlanta. But a big part of his postgame interview was about one of his legendary NBA opponents.
Now 42 years old and in his 22nd and final season, Saturday (box score) was most likely the final game in Houston for Hawks swingman and future Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter, barring a trade or buyout.
After starting his postgame interview with local network AT&T SportsNet Southwest, Harden paused for about 30 seconds to recognize Carter on his way off the court. The entire exchange played out on live television.
Here’s a classic “game recognize game” moment. After scoring 60 points in just three quarters, James Harden pauses his postgame interview to recognize 42-year-old NBA legend Vince Carter — who just played his final game in Houston. #Rockets pic.twitter.com/DvssstWpgM
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) December 1, 2019
James Harden takes some during his postgame interview with @cayleighgriffin to chat with Vince Carter.
"Vince (@mrvincecarter15) was one of the pioneers as far as his athleticism and the way he changed the game"#Rockets beat the Hawks 158-111 behind 60 points from @JHarden13 pic.twitter.com/98qgCyXAIa
— AT&T SportsNet SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) December 1, 2019
Courtside reporter Cayleigh Griffin, who was interviewing Harden, made it clear that she had no objections at all to the brief delay.
I will politely disagree with this point. I thought it was a truly amazing moment. Vince Carter will have played 4 DECADES in the NBA come January and it was a special moment between two greats.
It then allowed me to ask James about Vince, to which he gave a fantastic answer https://t.co/HUgaTEm4nE
— Cayleigh Griffin (@cayleighgriffin) December 1, 2019
Harden’s 60 points on 24 field-goal attempts during Saturday’s blowout victory were the fewest of any player in NBA history to score 60. The former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) also tied Michael Jordan for career 60+ point games at four, which is the third-most in NBA history. No other active player has more than one 60+ point game.
Most career 60-point games, NBA history
1. Wilt Chamberlain: 32
2. Kobe Bryant: 6
T-3. Michael Jordan: 4
T-3. JAMES HARDEN: 4— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) December 1, 2019
No other active NBA player has more than one 60-point game. https://t.co/hTO041v8ZH
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) December 1, 2019
Harden now leads the NBA at 38.9 points per game, which is nearly eight points per game above the No. 2 scorer (Giannis Antetokounmpo) at 31.2 points. That 38.9 total would be the highest in over 55 NBA seasons.
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James Harden's 60 points came on 16-24 FG. Assuming he sits the whole fourth quarter, he will have the fewest field goal attempts ever in a 60-point performance. Previous: Karl Malone getting 61 on 21-26 FG, per @bball_ref.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 1, 2019