A thrilling matchup between two NBA MVP candidates for this season was tainted when Houston Rockets guard James Harden seemingly kicked Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James in his groin area.
Harden was called for a flagrant foul 1 for the play, which allowed the dynamic scorer to remain in the game that the Rockets won in overtime with the score of 105-103.
The victory by Harden's Rockets over James' Cavaliers also prompted a tweet by the official account of the Houston Rockets that added insult to injury, claiming that Harden was the new King James.
The incident happened before the 10-minute mark of the game's third quarter, when the Rockets were up with a score of 78-67. Harden was double teamed by James and Cavaliers backup guard James Jones as the pair tried to force a jump ball situation.
The defensive pressure caused Harden to fall to the floor and, as the guard was still lying on the court, he seemingly launched a kick into the groin of James.
"Obviously that's not a basketball play," said James in an interview after the game. "Obviously, the league will probably take a look at it. I have no idea why he would do that, but two competitors just trying to go at it, and he won this one."
When James was asked whether there was any bad blood between the two superstars, who were both members of the 2012 United States Olympic basketball team, James said that there was none.
In a separate interview, Harden said that James was a good friend to him outside of the basketball court, downplaying the incident as simply part of the competition against one of the best basketball players that the world has ever seen.
Harden also said that he does not expect the NBA to enforce any disciplinary action upon him. However, the NBA thinks otherwise and has suspended Harden one game for the incident.
While Cavaliers coach David Blatt decided not to issue a comment regarding Harden's controversial play, stating that he did not get a great look at the incident when it unfolded, Jones did not shy away from accusing Harden of foul play, claiming that Harden's kick to James' groin was intentional.
Harden finished the game with 33 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, while James tallied 37 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks.
James had the chance to give the Cavaliers the lead with 4.2 seconds remaining in the overtime period, but he missed two free throws. A Harden free throw and a defensive play by Rockets forward Josh Smith sealed the win for the Rockets.
