Mark Travis

Special to the Caller-Times

Following one of the worst performances of James Harden's career in what was his biggest game as the lone star in the Rockets' locker room, critics of MVP favorite Harden will sing a common refrain all summer long: His dominant regular season was irrelevant.

After putting up a triple-double seemingly every other night, leading the league in assists and battling Russell Westbrook for the scoring title, Harden's regular season stat-padding exploits didn't translate into anything of substance when his team's season was on the line.

Instead, Harden's paltry 10 points, embarrassing 2-of-11 shooting and costly six turnovers in Houston's Game 6 loss made the entire regular season seem meaningless.

But that couldn't be further from the truth, and the team that taught us that is the one that just ousted Harden from the playoffs.

The San Antonio Spurs entered Game 6 against the Rockets in the most precarious of circumstances. Their best player (Kawhi Leonard) and their veteran playmaker and leader (Tony Parker) were out with injuries as they attempted to close out a Houston team that beat them by 21 points the last time they played at the Toyota Center.

For any other team, this disaster scenario would have never been given a thought, much less prepared for. But not the Spurs. In the most intentional of ways, by doing its best to prevent injuries to its key players during the regular season, San Antonio made the best preparations possible for what it faced in Game 6, and the result was a jaw-dropping 114-75 thrashing that put the Spurs into the Western Conference Finals.

For the past decade, the Spurs have rested their stars strategically throughout the regular season. The impetus is obvious — to keep their key rotation players healthy for the playoffs — but the side effects can be just as impactful.

When rookies like Dejounte Murray, Bryn Forbes and Davis Bertans and developing players such as Dewayne Dedmon, Kyle Anderson and Jonathon Simmons get sporadic chances to start or play with the starters during the season, it makes a major impact should they be called upon in any meaningful game.

As fate would have it, the Spurs needed Murray, Simmons and Anderson to play more than they would ever hope in the absences of Parker and Leonard, but because of the reps and tongue-lashings they got from Gregg Popovich during those supposedly meaningless games in November and February, they weren't afraid to step into the furnace in Game 6.

Murray played in 38 games during the regular season and has made seven appearances in the playoffs so far, and Game 6 was by far his most impressive performance as a professional. Murray had 11 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals in his 24 minutes, during which the Spurs outscored the Rockets by a game-high 33 points. If the numbers aren't impressive enough, the smooth nature with which Murray carved apart the Rockets should have the rest of the NBA shaking their heads at the possibility that the Spurs have unearthed another late-first round gem.

Anderson was key as well, offering the Spurs a small ball counter to the Rockets' five-out approach. Even as Simmons, who had a magnificent (and likely money-making) series versus his hometown team, has usurped most of his minutes in the playoffs, Anderson has been ready to contribute when called upon, and Popovich found the perfect role for him with Leonard out.

And then there was Simmons, who is likely the breakout player across the NBA this postseason. Simmons, a Houston native, is only playing in the NBA because he paid $150 just to try out for the Spurs' D-League team in 2013. He was San Antonio's third leading scorer in this series and scored a postseason career-high 18 points in Game 6 on 8-of-12 shooting. He also collected four assists and played excellent defense on Harden, carrying over a trend that helped the Spurs win Game 5.

Simmons showed flashes during the regular season last year, but found himself out of the rotation in the playoffs. This time around, Simmons has played too well for that to happen again, and he will be a critical piece of the Spurs' plan to upset the top-seeded Warriors.

Popovich should be commended for his decision to save Leonard for Game 7 even if his star wanted to play. It was a gutsy move and he might be the only coach in the NBA with the clout to make it, but it still takes a ton of fortitude to hold your best player out of a closeout game.

It also takes a lot of faith. A lot of faith in your system and in the locker room, even if they hadn't played a meaningful playoff minute in their lives. Of course Popovich didn't expect to beat the Rockets by 39 without Leonard or Parker, but there is no doubting he thought his team had a chance to end the series in spite of the adverse conditions.

It was fitting that Popovich's faith in the 10th and 11th men on his bench helped his team defeat Mike D'Antoni's Rockets. It was D'Antoni's stubbornly short rotation, featuring only two frequently used reserves, that had Harden and his running mates gasping for air as the Spurs' fresh and hungry second-unit ran Houston ragged in Game 6.

So while the video game numbers that Harden put up during the regular season might not matter in the playoffs, the games remain a valuable platform. Maybe it isn't the perfect substitute, but the next time an NBA fanbase goes to a Spurs game and is greeted by the upsetting news that Leonard or LaMarcus Aldridge won't play due to rest, the fans can take solace in the fact that San Antonio's next unsung heroes are being developed and groomed right in front of their eyes.

Mark Travis has a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University and is a graduate of Flour Bluff High School. He covers the NBA for Caller.com. You can reach him on Twitter @Mark_Travis.