During the regular season, Oklahoma City Thunder reserve James Harden was a nightly revelation off the bench. Thus far in the NBA Finals, the 2012 Sixth Man of the Year has delivered a hit-and-miss-and-miss performance. Harden shot 2 for 10 from the field in Game 3, missing all four of his 3-point attempts. For a player expected to bring instant offense off the bench, Harden's nine points didn't cut it in Oklahoma City's Game 91-85 loss.
In the final moments of the game, Harden was involved in the play that ultimately sealed the game for Miami. Defending LeBron James far from the basket, Harden was whistled for a blocking foul with 12 seconds remaining on the shot clock and 16 seconds left in the game. The Heat extended its three-point lead to five with James' free throws.
Although many felt that LeBron initiated the contact and could have been whistled for an offensive foul on the play, Metta World Peace seemed certain Harden was at fault.
The Lakers' small forward -- who gave Harden a concussion with a vicious elbow to the head in a late regular season game -- soon tried to soften the blow, predicting minutes later that Harden would make a big shot, presumably later in the series.
World Peace is no stranger to confounding end game plays. Just a few months ago he threw a horrible inbound pass that nearly cost the Lakers in a regular season matchup against the lowly New Orleans Hornets. In fact, the announcer said it was the worst play he had ever seen in the history of basketball.