James Harden looked to the heavens and raised his hands to the sky in triumph.
No, he didn’t just knock down a game-winner, he was celebrating a whistle, and what he felt was a long-overdue foul call in Monday night’s loss to the Bulls in Chicago.
Harden, who is averaging less than five free throw attempts per game as he continues to adjust to the new NBA, which doesn’t award non-basketball moves with foul calls, drove through two defenders and finished a righty layup that was counted, in addition to a foul call. The Nets star wasn’t celebrating the basket, rather the raised arm by the official to signify the shooting foul.
Harden, along with teammates on the Brooklyn bench, laughed and pumped their fists as Harden made his way to the free throw line for a rare foul shot.
Earlier in the game, Harden went in for a similar drive and had his arm tangled by Nikola Vucevic, but wasn’t awarded a foul call. He, along with many others around the league, have spoken on the challenges of adjusting to the new rules, which deter foul baiting and non-basketball moves that were often used to draw fouls.
Harden finished the night with three free throws, and was the ninth time in 11 games this season that he made it to the foul line less than five times.
"I don't want to talk about it," Harden said after the game when asked about his frustration with foul calls.
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