When James Harden and Chris Paul joined forces on the Houston Rockets ahead of the 2017-2018 season, many expected this backcourt duo to click instantly, making H-Town one of the biggest contenders in the NBA. While the Rockets would be tremendous and nearly end the super-team Golden State Warriors’ championship runs on two occasions, behind the scenes, everything was not peachy.
Despite the Rockets performing well on the court, Harden and Paul were beefing due to their different mentalities and points of view about the game. According to reports, CP3 wasn’t pleased with The Beard’s iso-heavy style of ball, while James, on the other hand, wasn’t willing to play off-ball and adhere to Chris’ motion style offense.
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“One of Paul’s biggest beefs, sources said, was that Harden basically opted not to participate in the Rockets’ offense when the ball wasn’t in his hands, sometimes barely stepping over half court while spectating when Paul had the ball,” reported ESPN’s Tim MacMahon in 2020.
Love lost
In Paul’s first season in Houston, Harden would explode and have his MVP year, averaging 30.4 points, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. The Rockets ended the campaign with a 65-17 record and almost knocked out the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. However, CP3’s injury after H-Town took a 3-2 lead would be detrimental, as they faltered in Game 7 at home.
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The following season, James would be brilliant again, averaging a staggering 36.1 points, 7.5 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per night. The Rockets, however, took a step down, finishing with a 53-29 record, only to lose to the Warriors once again, this time in the Western Conference Semi-Finals in six games.
Despite having a formidable squad around the duo of Harden and Paul with guys like Clint Capela, Trevor Ariza, PJ Tucker and Eric Gordon, H-Town simply missed a bit to come out on top. It seemed the strained dynamic between CP3 and The Beard played a vast part in them staying short of a championship.
“Harden quickly [got] tired of Paul barking about his concerns, which included lobbying coach Mike D’Antoni to implement more structure and movement in an offensive system that revolved around Harden’s isolations, sources said, “MacMahon reported.
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CP3 was out
While their talents were undeniable, it was easy to see why Chris and James didn’t mesh. Paul was always known as a driven competitor and winner, studying the game and demanding a lot from his teammates. On the other hand, Harden was more laid-back and inclined to take it easy and focus on his game.
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When those two styles collided, it was evident that James was just done with Chris constantly being on his case, seeking the comfort he had before. Daryl Morey was adamant about keeping CP3 and making this work again, but when Harden’s former teammate and friend, Russell Westbrook, became available, he was quick to switch things up.
“Rockets management believed those issues could be ironed out and wanted to run it back with the Harden-Paul duo last season. Those plans changed as soon as [Russell] Westbrook became available,” MacMahon reported.
Paul would end up with the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Westbrook went to the Rockets in a huge trade. That way, Houston gave the former OKC duo a try, while Chris got shipped out in what seemed like the end of his career.
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Ultimately, the Westbrook & Harden duo would crash out even worse than the Paul pairing and end after just one year, while Chris had a strong season with the Thunder and proved in the years to come that he was still one of the elite point guards in the Association.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.