Team USA: James Harden steal and dunk vs Mexico (Video)
By Wes Goldberg
After a season in which he was rightfully bashed for his horrendous defense, James Harden has actually been trying on that end of the court during the FIBA World Cup.
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In Team USA’s win 86-63 win over Mexico Saturday, Harden had a nice steal and dunk.
While guarding his man on the perimeter, Harden picked the pocket of guard Francisco Cruz who was, well, doing something under the rim. Honestly, it was an easy steal for the NBA All Star.
Cruz didn’t seem to at all have a plan with what he was going to do with the ball there. He got to the baseline and Anthony Davis was standing right there. Cruz freaked out, stopped and looked for a man to pass it out to. That’s when Harden pounced, finishing the play with a dunk on the other end.
Playing defense at this level is much easier than facing the top guards night in and night out in the NBA. That, paired with Harden’s responsibilities on offense is probably why he doesn’t put as much effort in on defense.
Harden’s defense has been much better in international play and even received praise from Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski. After taking quite a beating by both traditional and social media for his defense last season, Harden is apparently taking more pride in his play at that end of the court.