LOS ANGELES - Houston Rockets juggernaut James Harden likes to shoot threes and he is very good at it.
Through nine NBA seasons, a distinguished career that has spanned 665 regular season games thus far, the 6-foot-5 guard has made 1,588 treys in 4,338. This season, Harden has knocked down 206 of 537 threes for a sold 38.4 percent clip.
But even with his efficiency from deep, Harden wouldn't like to see a four-point line in the NBA.
"Nah..Nah... That's too much. That would mess the game up. Guys would be trying to shoot from half-court or whatever," Harden told SPIN.ph during the media availability session following the All-Star morning practice at Staples Center.
After finishing runner-up in the MVP ballot last season, Harden, who spent his first three years in the NBA playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, is enjoying another stellar campaign. He is averaging 31.3 points per game to help the Rockets own the best record in the league with a 44-13 slate.
THE BUTLER WILL DO IT. Former Chicago Bull Jimmy Butler has of late been dealing with a sore back. But don't expect that to sideline the 6-foot-8, 236-pound workhorse any time soon.
As long as he is able to run "up and down the court" he will play even at less that 100 percent, he told SPIN.ph.
Averaging 22.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5 assists through 55 games, Butler is a big reason why the Minnesota Timberwolves are fourth in the Western Conference with a 36-25 record. Barring a monumental collapse with 26 games left in their schedule, the Timberwolves are on pace to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.