Larry Bird entered the 1987 NBA All-Star weekend near the top of his game. Bird, the three-time reigning league Most Valuable Player, was set to make his eighth All-Star appearance in eight seasons. And the Boston Celtics forward had won the inaugural three-point contest a year earlier and was the heavy

Houston Rockets star James Harden isn't scoring 30 points every night because he can, he's doing it because he doesn't have a choice. According to the 29-year-old Harden, his historic scoring streak hasn't continued because he's trying to break records, it's happened because it's necessary, according to ESPN. Harden told Rachel Nicols the scoring streak started because the team was hit by injuries, but he doesn't focus on the streak now that it's become a major talking point.

With in the rear view and a few days to catch a refresher before the , let's take a look at what happened since training camp broke on the season to date. The last time James Harden scored fewer than 30 points, the Rockets were sitting at 12-14 and No. 14 in the Western Conference. The next game,

James Harden, who has scored 30 points in 31 consecutive games to tie Wilt Chamberlain's second-longest streak, stressed in a sit-down interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols that the Rockets needed him to go on the run.

Who will emerge in the Eastern Conference? Will LeBron and the Lakers make the playoffs? Is James Harden an MVP lock? Those are just some of the questions to be answered in the next seven weeks.