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James Harden knows his abilities and has no issue offering opinions on his perceived past MVP slights. “I should have won three years in a row,’’ he said. But the bigger goal for “The Beard’’ is a championship.

The Houston Rockets star’s Game 6 breakdown in the Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio remains a defining moment in his career. He has put together two magical regular seasons and is averaging a league-best 31.9 points per game for the top-seeded Rockets.

But he also realizes those numbers will mean little if the Rockets don’t reach at least the conference finals and a possible showdown with Golden State. With the addition of perennial All-Star Chris Paul and the bounce-back of Eric Gordon, the emergence of center Clint Capela, and the veteran presence of Ryan Anderson, Trevor Ariza, and former Celtic Gerald Green, the Rockets have bombarded opponents with 3-pointers and played strong enough defense to prevail when they don’t shoot well.

Harden knows he is the face of the franchise and winning is all that matters with the effort general manager Daryl Morey has made in surrounding him with talent.

“A whole different feeling, swag, everything,’’ Harden said of the difference between this year’s team and teams of years past. “I know what we have in Houston from the coaching staff to the players. We have a lot of depth and that’s what we’ve been missing since I’ve been in Houston.’’

Harden appreciates second-year coach Mike D’Antoni, whose system has always been offensively successful but never resulted in an NBA Finals appearance. A more defensive-minded D’Antoni has helped fuel Houston’s improvement.

“He gives his players the freedom to communicate, to go out there on the court and be who you are,’’ Harden said. “Everybody is going to make mistakes but if you’re playing with that mind-set that you can go out there and play free, you’re going to be that much better, and that’s why you see from everybody that plays under Mike, whether their numbers go up or they play a lot better.

Harden clashed with former Celtic Kevin McHale, who was fired as coach in 2015-16 after 11 games and said Harden wasn’t a true leader. Harden has cherished his relationship with D’Antoni.

“I needed [a coach like that],’’ he said. “I average four turnovers a game. But I mean there’s so many other great things that I do on the court that he sees in me. And the good outweighs the four turnovers. I think we have the right group, defensively and offensively, and that’s pretty scary.’’

The Rockets began Friday’s game 28-1 with Harden, Paul, and Capela in the lineup together. That eradicated any questions as to whether the ball-dominant Paul and Harden could play in the same backcourt.

“His IQ, leadership, the way he handles his business, he thinks the game,’’ Harden said of Paul. “He studies the game of basketball. He’s just not out there shooting jumpers. It’s a different dynamic and once you get that, your game elevates and he’s helped me. With so many guys asking whether me and Chris can play together, we’ve proven them wrong. We’ve got a long way to go but we’re going to continue to grow and make this run in the playoffs.’’

Harden was rather prickly when asked about Paul’s absence from the All-Star Game. Paul has missed 18 games with a knee injury.

“What are we talking about? Everybody knows Chris Paul is with the Rockets and the Rockets have the No. 1 seed, how does that not happen?,’’ said Harden. “It’s frustrating and I know he’s frustrated but he never brings it up. I’ll defend for him. He should be here with me and he should be an All-Star.’’

Harden said he was looking forward to the final third of the season and the Rockets attempting to clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference and potential home-court advantage in a series with the Warriors.

And he also realizes that while he is a runaway choice for MVP this year, it matters little if there is an early playoff exit.

“Championship is on my mind,’’ he said. “I’ve been in the MVP race for three or four years now. As long as I can keep my name in that conversation, that means you’re one of the top three or four NBA players every year, you’re doing something right.’’

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Raptors appear ready for a run

The Toronto Raptors are a team that can’t be ignored, especially by the Celtics. The Raptors have seized the No. 1 seed from Boston over the past few weeks and Dwane Casey, one of the more underrated coaches in the NBA, has led the charge and was rewarded with coaching last week’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles.

The ascension of the Raptors started with the growing relationship between All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. The Raptors drafted DeRozan in 2009 and developed him into a starter, and acquired Lowry from the Rockets in 2012. They have since re-signed him to two extensions.

“It’s one that’s grown,’’ Casey said of the bond between the two. “Both of them are family men. It’s one of those situations where they’ve grown into a very, very close situation. One, because we’re together and the struggles we had early. They’ve bonded very well together. When Kyle got to Toronto they weren’t that close. They didn’t know each other that well. But over the years they’ve gotten close, spent a lot of time together.’’

Toronto has never been a premium free agent destination — the Raptors have built through the draft. Nine players on their roster came through the draft. GM Masai Ujiri has found gems in players such as Fred VanVleet, Delon Wright, rookie OG Anunoby, and Pascal Siakam.

“It’s not like we’ve gone out and signed superstar free agents,’’ Casey said. “We’ve done it organically growing our players. And the rewarding part is people questioning the whole time what we were trying to do and how we were trying to do it. We’re not there, don’t get me wrong. But we’ve done it the old traditional way where [with other teams] a lot of guys are partnering up. I’m not throwing shade on that at all but some teams have added superstars, superstars and superstars, where we’ve done it by developing our younger players, starting with DeMar DeRozan.’’

What is different about this Raptors team than the one eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers the past two seasons? The key, Casey said, is defense and a difficult early schedule that galvanized the team.

“For me to sit here and say we have the best team? We have confidence but I’m not going to sit here and say we are the best team, but the numbers say that,’’ Casey said. “We have a window of two or three years with DeMar and Kyle, but to sit there and say this is the year it has to happen, I think our young core is coming along in a good way. I wouldn’t say they are ready to step through the door right now.

“I just know they have a lot to learn and a lot of experience to go through. We’ve made a lot of changes in our defensive approach, which is good. We’re doing quite a few things differently than in the past.’’

Casey has been on the proverbial coaching hot seat several times over the past few years and the Raptors have been disregarded as being a title contender because of their playoff flameouts.

“We’ve got a lot of times and work and sweat in over the year where people doubted us,’’ Casey said. “Shoot, I should have been fired five or six times over the last seven years, people thought. I’m proud but not satisfied. We can’t be satisfied. We have to stay hungry and understand being the hunted. The great thing is we’re not a finished product. We have to get battle-tested and ready for the playoffs.’’

And Casey would not touch the question about whether the Raptors are better than the Celtics, although they raced to a 20-point win at Air Canada Centre on Feb. 6. He has a healthy respect for the competition in the Eastern Conference, and realizes doubts about the Raptors remain.

“We’ve played well on those nights [against the Celtics]. We played well and we caught the lightning in a bottle,’’ Casey said. “Really good moves [in Cleveland]. They got younger, quicker, more athletic, there’s a freshness about them now. I like what they’ve done. I don’t think they were broken. As long as you have LeBron [James] as your leader and head of your team, you always have a chance to be good.’’

POLITICALLY CORRECT

Silver likes that players speak out

The theme of All-Star Weekend had nothing to do with basketball. The comments by Fox analyst Laura Ingraham — regarding statements from LeBron James and Kevin Durant, she suggested they leave politics alone and just “shut up and dribble’’ — sparked strong reaction from players, many of whom want to be known more than for their basketball prowess. Adam Silver, who has been one of the foremost sports commissioners on social issues, lauded his players for their desire to speak and address non-basketball topics.

“I’m incredibly proud of our players for using the platform they have as players in the NBA and on social media to speak out on issues that are important to them. And I was proud of LeBron and Kevin’s response to the comments that were made about them,’’ Silver said.

“I think even when I hear it related to the one-and-done issue when people say that the one-and-done players shouldn’t be in college because they don’t care about an education, I think is incredibly unfair to them. Just because they have enormous opportunity in the way maybe Bill Gates did, or Mark Zuckerberg, to create enormous wealth for themselves and their families certainly doesn’t mean they don’t care about an education. Many of them go on to continue to educate themselves, whether through going back to school in the summer, taking courses, doing things post-playing career. So it frustrates me.’’

Silver realizes he is the commissioner of a league that’s primarily black in a politically charged time for African-Americans. Silver spoke out against President Trump’s travel ban early in his administration that affected players from the list of banned countries. He also realizes that James and Durant are the faces of the league and have decided to take on social issues, unlike the previous face of the league, Michael Jordan.

“I should also say it’s not lost on me or anybody in this room that there is enormous amount of racial tension in this country, enormous amount of social injustice, and I do see a role for this league in addressing those issues,’’ Silver said. “Essentially, I know everybody can see, but Bill Russell happens to be sitting here at this press conference, and your question sort of reminds me of the role that players like Bill Russell have played historically in speaking out on important issues.’’

Silver then spoke to Russell, who was present at All-Star Weekend as the league continues its wonderful job paying homage to its legends.

“It’s interesting. Here we are in LA, and Bill, you probably remember this, but the first All-Star Game that took place in Los Angeles was in 1963. You were the MVP, and then of course the Celtics went on to win a championship that year. But maybe even more importantly, then, in the summer of 1963 you stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial when Dr. [Martin Luther] King gave his ‘I have a dream’ speech.

“So to me there is this direct through-line from players like Bill Russell, here it was roughly 55 years ago, to LeBron and Kevin Durant speaking out today on issues that are important to them.’’

While the NFL tried to shut down players from political activism, Silver has encouraged it. That’s what makes him the most popular leader of the four major sports. And it’s not close.

“So as I’ve said before, to me as commissioner of the NBA, this is a legacy of important work that I’ve inherited, that I continue to encourage, and it doesn’t mean I necessarily agree with everything that’s said at any given moment, but the fact that these players are not just basketball players, they’re multidimensional, they care about their communities, and they care about what’s happening in their country,’’ he said. “They then care enough to speak out, and sometimes at great risk to themselves because it’s not lost on them that there are some people who will disagree with them. Social media is full of hate as well. So I just conclude by saying I’m really proud of them.’’

ETC.

Mavericks’ chaos stirs up the league

The Sports Illustrated story on the chaos in the Dallas Mavericks organization and the atmosphere of sexual harassment has not only served as a wake-up call for owner Mark Cuban but for the entire league.

Silver distributed a memo to all NBA teams to remind them about the league’s sexual harassment policy and the league will also form an anonymous hotline for league employees to report any sexual harassment issues.

This story should serve as a reminder the NBA is not devoid of workplace issues and that the league’s owners should make it their foremost goal to make their team environments safe and comfortable for everyone.

Layups

The Charlotte Hornets removed general manager Rich Cho, a former executive of the Seattle SuperSonics, after many of his moves failed to meet expectations. The Hornets have the league’s 12th-highest payroll with four players — Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Cody Zeller — committed to contracts through 2019-20, squelching their cap flexibility. Their most marketable player, All-Star point guard Kemba Walker, was briefly on the trade block, but Cho wanted to attach Batum’s anchor-like contract to any deal. The Hornets made a damaging error in extending Batum for five years and $120 million. Batum is averaging 12 points per game this season and shooting 41 percent from the field. Since Charlotte has never been a premium free agent destination, Cho felt like he had to make a major financial commitment to Batum to keep him there. It was the right idea but the wrong player. The Hornets have also failed miserably in the draft, taking players who have become rotation players but nothing more, other than Walker. Kidd-Gilchrist and Zeller, both drafted among the top four picks, have been oft-injured and failed to reach expectations. Frank Kaminsky has worked himself into a solid bench player but he is a career 33 percent 3-point shooter and doesn’t do anything exceptionally well. It’s way too early to judge rookie Malik Monk, who is averaging 12 minutes per game and 33 percent shooting. Cho made a concerted effort to make the Hornets relevant and the club did make two playoff appearances in the previous four years. But the next general manager, rumored to be Mitch Kupchak, will have to find takers for some of the bad contracts or weather the storm and gain future salary cap relief . . . Joakim Noah has likely played his final game as a New York Knick after an altercation with coach Jeff Hornacek last month, and the club must decide what to do with the final two years and $36 million on his contract. The Knicks could still play Noah for the rest of the season and perhaps increase his trade value this summer. They could also waive Noah and stretch the remaining money on his contract for the next five years. There would be interested teams if Noah is waived, but the Knicks are being steadfast in wanting to try to get a return on their failed investment.

Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GwashburnGlobe. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.