On This Day: Tonight, Harden vs. Antetokounmpo was supposed to be settled – or further ignited
With the NBA, MLB, NHL and other major sports leagues and sporting events suspended or canceled, on a daily basis, we will revisit some of the most unforgettable games and sports moments in history. Welcome to On This Day.
It has officially been two weeks without sports – and we’re already flipping the script.
Instead of looking into the past, let’s take a look at what was supposed to be.
And on this day, the Milwaukee Bucks were scheduled to host the Houston Rockets, in the two teams’ much-anticipated second matchup of the season.
Like this James Harden layup, our dreams have been discarded – but we can still spend a moment thinking about the big game.
Tonight, James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo were set to face off for the first time since their odd beef sparked around All-Star Weekend.
Remember when Giannis said this:
Giannis has got jokes ? #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/9m7cguXTMJ
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 7, 2020
Then, he followed it up with this:
“Offensively we were just trying to find whoever James Harden was guarding.”
Giannis explained his team’s strategy in the All-Star Game’s final minutes. pic.twitter.com/cIUPFyyxJn
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 17, 2020
And then Harden was tooootally like this:
“When it’s all said and done people will appreciate it more. But I wish I could just run, be 7 feet & dunk. That takes no skill at all. I gotta actually learn how to play basketball & have skill.”
James Harden on #TheJump w/ @Rachel__Nichols
Full Video https://t.co/adwKb6ygzA pic.twitter.com/rXy0H7IeRD— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 28, 2020
It was super fun while it lasted. And who knows, maybe it still would have been going on tonight when the two lined up for battle.
Unfortunately, we might never know. Or, we might just have to wait for our answer.
Another storyline for tonight’s would-be game is that it would have featured the last three regular season MVP winners, all in one contest.
With the way Giannis had been playing this season, he was well on his way to winning his second straight MVP crown, a feat that evaded both Westbrook and Harden, even though both contended for the award the year after winning their first.
Even though we don’t have tonight’s contest, we do have highlights from the first matchup between the two former MVPs and the reigning MVP.
The Bucks and Rockets faced off on Oct. 24, in the season opener for both teams.
Despite trailing by 16 at half, Milwaukee came back to defeat Houston, 117-111, on the Rockets’ home floor.
Antetokounmpo finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Westbrook, in his Houston debut, scored 24 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out 7 assists. Harden finished with 19 points, 14 assists and 7 rebounds.
As of now, it’s still 1-0 in Antetokounmpo’s favor.
We’ll see when Harden and the Rockets will have a chance to even up the score.
