James Harden's beard develops its own following

Thursday night, it was Harden torching the Mavs for 23 points and sparking a series-evening victory in the Western Conference Finals.

“James Harden scored 20 points,” ESPN anchor Stuart Scott said on-air after the game. “His beard had three.”

As this playoff series shifts to Oklahoma City at 8 p.m. Saturday, Harden is among the emerging stars.

His beard has long been a star. It first became a big deal at Arizona State during Harden's final college season when he grew it out during a winning streak. But in his two years in the NBA, The Beard has become a phenomenon. There are T-shirts. There are websites.

Harden has one fan page on Facebook.

His beard has six.

Granted, Harden is more popular than his beard with about 9,000 more people saying that they “like” him on Facebook, but still, the appeal of his beard is undeniable.

Davis even gave it a tug during All-Star Weekend.

Yep, the point guard who powered the eighth-seeded Warriors to an upset of the top-seeded Mavs in the 2007 playoffs walked right over to Harden earlier this season and grabbed The Beard.

“Not allowed to touch The Beard,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks deadpanned. “Especially an opponent.”

There was a time when Brooks wasn't so protective of The Beard.

“It took me a year to like it,” he admitted. “I didn't like it last year, but now ... I don't want him to shave it. It's who he is.