Durant: Harden not 'cheating the game'

Houston Rockets star James Harden is arguably the master of drawing fouls, but the manner in which he does so has drawn scrutiny.

Kevin Durant isn't one of those critics, and the Golden State Warriors forward believes Harden is merely outsmarting his opponents rather than playing outside the rules of the game.

"I think everybody wants to get into the lane and they use little tricks to try to get their shots off," Durant said Tuesday, per 95.7 The Game. "I don't think he's any different. He may bump guys off going to the rim but everybody does that ... he has a style of play and it might not be what everybody might like to see, but it's been effective and I don't think he's been cheating the game at all."

Durant believes more time should be spent appreciating Harden's unique abilities rather than debating if a foul should or shouldn't be called.

"Referees aren't going to be perfect all game just like players aren't," Durant said. "I think more so than just the talk of calls and officiating, it should be about how great all of these players are on the court and how they uniquely bring something different to the table."

Harden has led the league in free-throw attempts in six of the last seven years. He ranked first during the regular season in free throws made (9.7) and attempted (11) per contest. During the postseason, Harden sits third (7.5) and fifth (8.5) in those categories, respectively.