One of the biggest talking points from the Western Conference Finals came in Game 3 when James Harden appeared to draw a foul on a three-point attempt but walked away with nothing. Many Rockets fans expected a potential 3+1 opportunity after Klay Thompson’s arm clearly made contact with Harden’s shooting arm. Instead, the referees ruled it as neither a shooting foul nor a continuation, awarding only a sideline inbounds. For Houston, the decision felt like a gut punch, and as fans on Cricket Exchange highlighted, it completely shifted the momentum of the game.

To understand why, it helps to look at two controversial NBA rules. The first is what many now call the “Harden Rule.” Introduced before this season, it states that if a player simply swings their arms upward into contact, it no longer counts as a shooting foul. The ball handler must already be in a genuine upward shooting motion at the time of contact. The league even used video clips of Harden himself when introducing the change, making clear who the rule targeted. The impact has been dramatic: Harden’s free-throw attempts dropped from 10.5 per game in last year’s playoffs to just 7.8 this year. Other foul-drawing specialists saw similar declines. Discussions on Cricket Exchange often note how this rule directly curtailed Harden’s trademark ability to bait defenders.

The second is known as the “Reggie Miller Rule.” In 2012–2013, the NBA outlawed the tactic of kicking out one’s legs to create contact with a defender while shooting. Named after Pacers legend Reggie Miller, who mastered the move, the rule shifted calls against the offensive player. In practice, this meant that what once drew a foul could now result in an offensive foul instead. Together, the Harden Rule and the Reggie Miller Rule have significantly limited offensive players’ ability to manufacture fouls from behind the arc.

Back to Game 3: with 9:31 left in the third quarter, Harden dribbled near the top of the arc and rose for a contested three. Thompson’s hand was still on Harden’s arm as the ball went up, and the shot splashed through. For many, it looked like a textbook 3+1. Had it been called, the Rockets—already up 56–47—could have extended their lead to 13 points after a Harden free throw. That cushion might have been enough to rattle Golden State’s confidence. Instead, the officials signaled “no basket, side out,” repeating the gesture that crushed Houston’s hopes.

From that moment, the game turned. The Warriors erupted on a 17–5 run, flipping the score to 64–61 in their favor. What could have been Houston’s knockout punch became the Warriors’ rallying cry. As fans vented frustration on Cricket Exchange, many argued that while the intent of these rules is to clean up the game and discourage flopping, the downside is leaving too much to subjective interpretation. When judgment calls carry this much weight, they can swing not just a possession but the entire outcome of a playoff series.

Ultimately, the Harden Rule and the Reggie Miller Rule both aimed to bring fairness and flow back to the game, but as this sequence showed, the law of unintended consequences is alive and well. Harden fell hard, but the call fell harder on the Rockets’ chances, leaving fans wondering if the rules meant to level the playing field had instead tilted it.