HOUSTON — When the knee injury first flared up a year ago that eventually forced center Dwight Howard to miss exactly half the regular season schedule, there was only one thing for James Harden to do.
When forward Terrence Jones went from nerve inflammation in his leg to the flu to a collapsed lung that kept him sidelined for 49 games, point guard Patrick Beverley tore ligaments in his left wrist in March and forward Donatas Motiejunas needed back surgery in April and both players missed the playoffs, the ask of Harden was the same.
So after averaging 27.4 points, 7.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game while at times solely dragging his Rockets to the Western Conference finals for first time in nearly two decades and it was still not enough to win the 2015 Kia MVP award, Harden has a plan.
"You don't think I can do more?" Harden asks. "Just wait. I'll show you."
The beard mostly covers up the defiant grin that practically dares you to tell him he's already scraping at the ceiling.
"I am the best player in the league. I believe that," he said. "I thought I was last year, too."
That runner-up finish to the Warriors' Stephen Curry is still harder to swallow than a chicken bone.
"I know I was the MVP," Harden said. "That's 100 percent given all the things that happened last season.
"Credit the Golden State Warriors for an unbelievable year. They had an unbelievable team, coaching staff, everything.
"But that award means most valuable to your team. We finished second in the West, which nobody thought we were going to do at the beginning of the year even when everybody was healthy. We were near the top in having the most injuries. We won our division in a division where every single team made the playoffs.
"There's so many factors. I led the league in total points scored, minutes played. Like I said, I'm not taking anything away from Steph, but I felt I deserved the Most Valuable Player. That stays with me."
What also stays with him is the nagging memory of being eliminated in Game 5 of the West finals on a night when Harden shot just 2-for-11 from the field and committed a playoff record 12 turnovers.
"To be honest, I thought I had more in the tank when I went out onto the court that night," he said. "But it was a long, tiring, beat-down season ... Playing the most [total] minutes in the league, dealing with so many injuries every single day ... It's a wear-and-tear. It's a grind.
"It was so frustrating, because in that Game 5 I turned the ball over 12 times. I pride myself on creating opportunities to score for my team. So those 12 possessions, instead of getting a shot for myself or one of my teammates, I'm giving an extremely talented Golden State offensive team extra possessions. And you just can't do that in the playoffs.
"So that's what my offseason has been all about -- better conditioning and better preparation for this time."
Harden's offseason has also included signing a lucrative endorsement contract with adidas for $200 million, continuing a high-profile relationship with Khloe Kardashian that makes him an A-lister by any measure, practically sprinting up the ladder of celebrity two rungs at a time.
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