Having jumped ships five times, James Harden has had the opportunity to partner up with several players. However, none of his partnerships were as eventful as with veteran point guard Chris Paul in Houston. When the duo first paired up, they were off to an electric start, making it to the top of the Western Conference with a record of 65 wins and 17 losses. However, the story took a dramatic turn. Houston surrendered to the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs during each of Paul’s two seasons with the team. After that dismal run, Paul was shipped to the OKC Thunder.

While there is no clarity on what caused the abrupt trade, there were rumblings of a possible discord between CP3 and Harden. However, four years down the line, a former NBA Champion and Lakers forward sheds light on the alleged rift between Paul and Harden.

Former NBA Champion takes the lid off the beef rumors

As per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the reason for Paul’s beef stemmed from Harden’s refusal to play offense when he did not have possession of the ball. Harden barely crossed half-court when he spotted Paul with the ball. The sources revealed that Harden got tired of CP3’s constant complaints and decided to go separate ways. However, let’s hear from their former teammate whether there was even a beef in the first place.

During a recent appearance on the All the Smoke podcast, former NBA champion Trevor Ariza debunked the alleged beef. According to him, they both just “think different.” He further added, “They’re two different minds at a game two different geniuses. If I could say that in different ways – CP more of a more of a pitbull, James to me is like he a killer.”

Would the Rockets have won had Chris Paul not been injured?

James Harden was playing the best basketball of his career during the 2017-18 season. With Harden in tow, the Rockets boasted an impressive offensive rating of 114.1 at the time. And with the likes of Chris Paul, Trevor Ariza, Eric Gordan, and Joe Johnson supporting Harden, they climbed to the top in the West. The 2017-18 Rockets were such a formidable fit that they even outplayed the Warriors’ ‘Big Three’ of Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson. However, that high soon ended.

Paul endured a hamstring injury during the Game 5 victory against the Warriors. Subsequently, with Paul out, the Dubs staged a massive comeback, blowing the Rockets by 29 points in Game 6. Looking back at the 2017-18 season, Ariza lamented, “That’s the year CP [Chris Paul] got hurt… We was f**king them [Warriors] up! We had them really on the ropes, until he got hurt. And then they just turned it back on.” His statements make one wonder what it would have been like had Chris Paul been healthy.

Read More: Has James Harden Finally Found Home? Clippers Big 4 Have Already Outlasted The Beard’s Tenure With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving

However, both Harden and Paul are still in search of the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy that has eluded them throughout their careers. Who do you think will add a title to their resume first? Let us know in the comments!

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