Only James Harden Would Be Asking Favors Of A Man That's One Game Away From Retirement

Asked what he told Kobe after the game, said Harden: "We need y'all to beat Utah. I mean, we need some help."

— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) April 10, 2016

Look, I realize that James Harden didn't exactly ask Kobe Bryant to drop off his dry cleaning or pick him up for the airport, but it's still ridiculous that his final words to him as a basketball player were a request. Obviously the guy that has valued winning over everything else throughout the entirety of his career is going to try his damnedest to win the last game of his career regardless of the Houston Rockets playoff positioning. Still, it's absolutely ludicrous that James Harden suggested that Kobe Bryant keep James Harden's best interests in the back of his mind while he does. Kobe has fit 20 years of generosity into the last 6 months. He's given away enough signed shoes and autographed jerseys to fund a third world country. No one has asked Kobe for anything since he officially announced this was his last season. His team can't hasn't asked him to pass, his coach hasn't asked him to sit down, and his opposition sure as hell hasn't asked him to win games on their behalf. With the way James Harden plays defense the last thing I should expect out of him is accountability, but was it too much to ask of him to just pat Kobe on the ass, congratulate him on his career, and tell him good luck in the future? It's not Kobe's responsibility to make up for the 35 games James Harden spent playing off his Kardashian weight. It's not his job to cover for the entirety of the Houston Rockets historically underwhelming season, even if it does happen to greatly benefit him too.