When James Harden left the game with 30 seconds to play in the first quarter, his Houston Rockets trailed the San Antonio Spurs by 3 points. When Harden was blocked from behind at the final buzzer by the ghost of Manu Ginobili, the Rockets were down by 3 points. This brings us back around to one of the oldest maxims in the basketball-nerd universe: The points count the same in the first quarter as they do in the fourth.
Harden’s breakdown late in Game 5, when he went 1-for-6 with one assist and four turnovers, is the top-line takeaway after the Rockets’ Tuesday-night loss.