With the Los Angeles Clippers cruising to a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, James Harden decided to have some fun. After kicking the ball out to Kawhi Leonard in the corner, Harden turned towards Leonard and then attempted to block his shot. It was very weird — Leonard missed, the Clippers got an offensive rebound, and Harden eventually got an assist after setting up an Amir Coffey three.
Los Angeles was up by 21 at the time, so it’s not like this happened in a high-stakes moment or anything. Still, everyone had one question: Why the heck did Harden do this? Fortunately, he was asked about this after the game and basically said it all comes down to good vibes.
James Harden on closing out on Kawhi
Fun Team! pic.twitter.com/kZhL22aXQU
— Law Murray
(@LawMurrayTheNU) March 21, 2024
“Gotta bring some excitement to this team,” Harden said. “I think this last few weeks has been a fog for us, think every team goes through something. Just me trying to create a great energy, a great vibe for this team. Maybe it would’ve been better if he made the shot, but, gives us something to laugh about, you know what I mean? Some excitement.”
When asked if he managed to accomplished what he set out to do, Harden smiled and said, “Yeah, I did.”