At this point, the MVP was rolling and the Rockets were in the driver’s seat. San Antonio was merely on the way to becoming Houston’s 46th conquest during a seventh consecutive season of reaching the playoffs.



There was Derrick White — way too high up, flirting with the edge of the midcourt logo as he tried his best to disrupt James Harden. A crushing screen from P.J. Tucker gave him a reminder of the dangers of doing just that.



There was an aging Rudy Gay, flat-footed and half a step too slow at 32, who made the mistake of trying to beat Harden to a spot he had no intention of going to anyway.



And then there was LaMarcus Aldridge, who knew to stay home on Clint Capela to prevent any lobs, but who gave in to his instincts and lunged toward Harden anyway.



And it still didn’t matter. Bucket.



Harden’s 60th and 61st points, coming as they did on a floater over Aldridge, served as a reminder that his bag of...