Okay so here’s what I did this weekend, honestly just sat down at my computer Saturday morning thinking about the 2018 Rockets season. Man, that was a ride. I remembered how Harden was just unstoppable that year, especially during that crazy win streak they had. So I decided, you know what, I wanna dive deep and see exactly how his numbers translated into wins. Felt like crunching some real data.
Getting My Hands on the Numbers
First thing first, I needed the actual stats. I opened my browser and looked up Harden’s game logs for the 2017-2018 regular season with the Rockets. Took a bit of clicking around different sports sites, gotta compare, you know? Found a good breakdown that showed not just his points, rebounds, assists, but also how he shot the ball each game – field goals, threes, free throws. Copy-pasted all that stuff into a big spreadsheet.
Sorting by Wins… And Seeing the Pattern
I didn’t just want his stats; I wanted to see how they looked when the Rockets actually won. So I sorted the whole spreadsheet. Click, click. All the wins grouped together at the top. Then I started looking at the numbers line by line. Like, seriously reading across each win. And man, it jumped out instantly:
- His points per game in wins? Way higher on average. Obviously he scores, but seeing the consistency game after game was nuts.
- The assists? Forget just scoring. In wins, that assist column was constantly stacked. Dude wasn’t just hunting buckets, he was getting everyone involved.
- That free throw line. Holy smokes. He averaged like 10 attempts or more in wins. That pressure? Constant. Defenders just couldn’t guard him without fouling.
- Here’s the real kicker: the efficiency. Yeah, he shot a lot. But in wins? His field goal percentage, especially his three-point shooting, was consistently better. It wasn’t just volume; it was smarter volume.
Spotting the MVP-Level Games
Then I started zeroing in on big games. Remember that win against Golden State in January? He dropped like 22 points and almost lost the ball. Yeah, looked it up. Checked the win column… yep, a W. But when I really leaned in? It was those stretches during that 14-game win streak. Looked at maybe 6 key games. His lines were unreal: 40+ points, double-digit assists, getting to the line 15 times. It wasn’t just one thing; it was the whole package blowing up night after night. That streak? His stat lines were absolutely the engine. He was the system.
The Big Takeaway
Honestly, this wasn’t surprising, but seeing it laid out in cold, hard numbers was different. He wasn’t just putting up big numbers; he was putting up big numbers the way the Rockets needed him to win. When he scored efficiently, got guys easy shots, and put constant pressure on the defense at the line? That combo was basically a guaranteed W for them that year. It wasn’t just the stats themselves, it was how he got them – attacking relentlessly, kicking it out to open shooters, forcing the defense into impossible choices. The stats themselves told the story of why they won so many games. Simple as that.
