It just surprises me that a writer would so blatantly attack an opposing team's star for his style of play. I've never seen that before and now it's happened twice - once by a Clipper's announce and now by a SLC writer. It's just shocking. The idea that Harden's step back being effective because he somehow illegally draws fouls is nuts.
I hate it but he might be on to something though. Harden deserved at least 8 more FTs than he got sunday. It is amazing that they officiate the games so differently in the playoffs.
Wow . You are telling me . I couldn't make it past the Curry dick riding transition into harden hate . "Curry transformed the game with his step-back unassisted 3" "Harden on the other hand cheats the game" You can't make this **** up lol
Utah Jazz: "Urhhh, Harden's scoring capability is too good. We can't defend him. We can't win. That'll kill the basketball." Wilt & Michael: @%$#%&$%&*^*^#
Obviously not going to read that. Did they mention the part where Harden had 29 points, 10 assists, and ONLY 3 FREE THROWS ATTEMPTED (which he made) in the Rockets' rout of their team the other night?
If Harden was white the narrative would be much, much different. Unfortunately, he is from Compton and loves fat asses. F them. Let’s get ringssssss.
How did the author feel about the incessant flopping of the Malone/Stockton Jazz? The author's largest complaint is that Harden creates too much contact going to the basket and the refs let him get away with it. Has this dude ever watched a Bucks game? THIS. Harden took unassisted threes beyond anything Curry or anyone else has done.
My biggest beef with the anti-Harden narrative is that all NBA defenders are competent, smart, perfect little angles doing nothing wrong and then big mean Harden came along and MADE them start fouling. How about holding NBA defenders accountable for their own actions? How about recognizing that Harden has innovated and created moves that make it impossible for defenders to guard him without fouling? Harden's stepback to his right makes it near impossible to challenge without 1) hitting his shooting arm 2) jumping into his space. By the anti-Harden logic, pump fakes should are 'ugly' and should be illegal because they TRICK the defender. Oh, the unfairness of it.
We need @J.R. to do a perfect C&P on this bad boy. You guys are literally paying this mans paycheck by clicking on that link.
Had to respond: Picking a number that's not favourable while completely disregarding the context? How salty can you get?
The central point he was making is undeniable: Harden is better than everyone else in the league at creating contact and getting the refs to whistle fouls in his favor. We think it’s great because it helps us win games. Fans of other teams dislike it because it hurts their team’s chances against us. More objective observers probably can recognize and maybe even admire the skill of being able to so frequently create those advantages, while also disliking the aesthetics of those moves and considering it ultimately gray area exploitation and a detriment to the game. That’s my takeaway from the article. Can’t really blame someone for disliking it when a player excels at exploiting the gray areas of the rulebook. I think it’s interesting gamesmanship, but from a purist standpoint I can see how it is aggravating. But this writer really should reflect on all the ways gray areas in the rule book are exploited by other teams. Start with those Jerry Sloan Jazz teams that fouled like crazy with the expectation that the refs would let them get away with a lot of it. Or even all these “beautiful” modern day motion offenses that rely so heavily on screens that are arguably illegal (or, at least, right on the border of legality). How is that any different, really?
