In the third quarter of a recent game at the TD Garden, James Harden is crouched down, facing Kyrie Irving. The Boston Celtics guard is crafty, explosive, speedy — the kind of player who has mercilessly torched Harden and contributed to his infamous defensive lowlight reels. And he is revving up like he knows it.

Irving crosses to his left. Harden mirrors him, so Irving tries to muscle past him on his right. That’s when Clint Capela, the Houston Rockets’ defensive anchor, catches up to switch. Before retreating to Capela’s man, Harden swipes at the ball, forcing Irving to pick it up, and then he plants himself inside the only open passing lane on the floor, goading Irving to throw the ball right into Harden’s hands. That’s exactly what Irving does, as Harden snatches his second steal of the night en route to the Rockets’ fifth straight victory on March 3.

It’s no coincidence that Harden’s best defensive season has dawned while the arms race between offensive space and the defenders who encroach on it teeters toward an ancient creed: Even in the NBA, all warfare is based on deception.

Brute force is proving no match for subtle sleights of hand — look-offs, head fakes, pass fakes and hesitations. Defenses, tired of holding up a piece of cardboard against a tidal wave, have gotten craftier, too. There’s the XL, where one defender tricks two weakside spacers into thinking he can close out on them, and stunted rotations, where the defender momentarily sags off a shooter just to persuade a driving player to kick the ball out. Being in position is just as important as convincing your opponent you’ll be in position, which is fertile ground for Harden, the NBA’s most talented actor, whether he’s flopping to draw a foul or lulling defenders to sleep before popping a shot in their faces.

James Harden drives to the basket between Jeremy Lamb (L) and Devonte' Graham of the Hornets on Monday night. (Getty Images) More

Harden is enjoying the best statistical season of his career, scoring a godly 36.2 points, dishing out 7.5 assists and picking up 2.1 steals per game. “It’s funny to say that he got better,” Capela said. “Especially when you see a player average 30, you think that’s it. Not gonna go higher than that. And then … he keeps going.” But while his guile wins games, it loses fans. If Harden wrangles his second MVP award from Giannis Antetokounmpo’s monstrous grip, it will not be by way of grace or storyline, but, like much of his game, by overwhelming numerical force.

He started building his case early in December, when a string of injuries, imperfect shooting and losses threatened Houston’s season. The Rockets looked disconnected, even dispirited. After losing to the Utah Jazz and dropping to 13th place in the West, veteran guard Eric Gordon confessed, “I’m just not having fun.” That’s when Harden flipped the switch, tearing off a 32-game 30-point scoring streak spanning 10 weeks that included 17 missed games from fellow All-Star Chris Paul, 15 missed games from Capela, and eight from Gordon. The unsustainable became the inevitable, catapulting the Rockets back into NBA Finals contention. “He’s phenomenal,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “He saved us. He turned the whole season around.”

Rockets defensive guru Jeff Bzdelik took note of something else: Harden was imposing his superior intellect on his biggest weakness — defense. “He’s an intelligent guy,” Bzdelik said. “He knows his positioning well. That’s why he’s able to get those deflections, steals and he knows how to defend in the post. His intelligence allows him to anticipate, and the anticipation gets him in position in a quicker, positive way. Because he scores so much, a lot of that is overlooked.”

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