A familiar foe poses a great challenge

December 22, 1:44 AMHouston Rockets ExaminerDavid Hartnett

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Devin Harris helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2006. The following year he was the team’s starting point team on a squad that won 67 wins and the first seed in the Western Conference. However, with a first round upset at the hands of the Golden State Warriors — things weren’t rosy in Dallas.

The following season, eager to find a scapegoat for the team’s fledgling production, the Mavericks front office decided to cut the cord and deal the former fifth overall pick (in only his fourth season) for a 34-year-old Jason Kidd.

While the trade itself was questionable at the time,it has since become even more lopsided considering the latest dominating performance by Harris, who the other night dropped 41 points and 13 assists against the Mavericks.

Therefore, as Harris’ play has reached another level, prompting his name to be included in discussions as one of the top point guards in the game, the Rockets defense will be pushed to its limits as they take on the Harris-led New Jersey Nets tonight.

As Harris spent three and a half seasons in Dallas, the Rockets have faced Harris before (including once as a member of the Nets). However, the way the former University of Wisconsin standout is currently performing (averaging nearly 25 points and seven assists per game) is very different from the pedestrian point guard he was with the Mavericks and the latter half of last season.

With the Nets offense for so long trying to incorporate the skills of Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson, head coach Lawrence Frank saw the talent that was present in Harris and decided to retool his offense to optimize the various skills of his young point guard.

ESPN’s resident stat guru, John Hollinger, made a few keen observations about Harris, and offers insight about what the Rockets should expect from him.

So quick is Harris off the bounce that a lot of times the Nets don't even bother with the pick-and-roll. Harris' blazing speed means he can reliably beat opposing point guards off the bounce without a screen, and without any big man around to help out defenders are left at his mercy. (It also begs the question: Why didn't Dallas try this?)

And he's become more than just a driver. Should the opposing guard sell out to stay with him, he's also mastered the art of stopping on a dime, taking a single backward dribble and then lofting an uncontested midrange J.

It seems unlikely Rafer Alston will return for this game, so most of the responsibility lies with the ultra quick and agile Aaron Brooks to defend Harris. Fortunately, for the Rockets, Brooks possess the speed and lateral movement to stay with Harris. Traits neither Kidd and Steve Nash apparently no longer feature as Harris scored over 40 points against both the Suns and Mavericks.

Regardless of tonight's outcome, the transformation by Harris is quite remarkable and thankfully occured while not as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.