Re-printed with permission from the Chronicle Herald
ORLANDO, Fla. — James Harden's swift path to redemption met its terminus on Friday as the Sunnyvale Slayers star put the finishing touches on his COMO Finals MVP performance. It was a year ago when—following an ugly playoff exit—general manager Matthew Quammen dangled Harden in several trade offers and coach Lavar Ball trashed the perennial All-COMO player in the media. Harden and the team were unable to find a buyer, and they eventually put those events behind them. Following a 4-2 Finals win over Chaska, Harden (44.5 bones) now has two rings, his first Finals MVP, and a Hall of Fame legacy carved in stone. Still, as the champagne flowed in the bubble, the front office was not quite ready to admit any fault for nearly sabotaging their championship team. "We did put Harden on the block (last year) as he'd failed us in the playoffs," Ball said in the locker room. "James understood that. What I think surprised him was that the rest of the league showed limited interest. That disrespect pushed James to another level this year, as if he dumped a Kardashian again." Salt aside, this is a team that performed at its peak at the perfect time. The bubble restart hamstrung certain teams (cough, Manhattan, cough) and gave Sunnyvale a major opportunity. It capitalized. Harden got help from fellow All-COMO star Kawhi Leonard, acquired in a midseason trade from Cleveland. Leonard posted a 35.00 average over two starts, and was the only other Slayer to join The Beard on the All-COMO Playoffs team. "Kawhi is a champion and he was huge," Ball said. "I'm told no other ownership group would give up a first (-round pick in a trade), which is crazy to me. You play to win the damn thing." He added: "Star power conquers all. Matt Quammen and Trent Johnson taught us that a long time ago." The championship party extended into the wee hours of the morning. The folks of Sunnyvale and the greater Dartmouth also held a notable celebration. Ball said he heard that local celebrities Julian, Ricky, and Mr. Lahey were on the prowl, saying, "COVID isn't the virus we're worried about tonight!" Ball also made sure to let the world know that the Slayers would be back for more in the winter. "I appreciate the haters," he said. "We could've won three or four by now, but we were getting BBB off the ground, taking over Australia, building the JBL. So this championship feels good but it mainly feels like the start of a dynasty." 2020 All-COMO Playoffs team
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