Decoy Harden plays unheralded role in Nets Game 5 win

This much is clear, James Harden was not close to fully healthy when he took the court for Game 5 on Tuesday night, but his presence alone made all the difference.

Harden's 1-for-10, five point, eight assist, six rebound performance was easily the worst shooting night of his playoff career, but the Nets jack of all trades made plays for others in critical spots. Brooklyn's big three down to 1.5 was just enough to rally past the Bucks in the second half with Durant putting on a 49-point outburst for the ages to bring his team back from a 17-point hole. Harden's sheer will and determination saw him upgraded from out to doubtful to questionable to actually playing within a matter of hours. The Nets needed the hobbled star to take the court in the worst way without a true point guard running the show the offense looked left for dead. Now attention turns to Game 6 on Thursday as a hobbled Harden logged 46 minutes and Durant all 48, and they'll need to empty the tank once again if they hope to send the Bucks home for good.