Harden just isn't a likeable player. Unless he plays for your team. All these announcers and fans that hate Harden, would love the guy if he played for their team.
I was watching the Nuggets broadcast(accidentally) last night on my firestick in the first half and was thinking to myself how horrible the announcers were. Everything sounded completely one sided even the small things. Overall they came off very petty and bitter so I had to change back to the Rockets broadcast. I heard Bill and Craig compliment THEIR players numerous times like "Juancho going to be a good player for a long time in this league" and how good they were running us off the line.
True, but yeah, nba interpretation of the rules allow those calls, that's why you can make a defender jump with a pump fake, and if you jump at him when he's up in the air, you'll get a shooting foul, the principle is the same...in the rest of the world those calls don't even exist, but in the nba they allow these calls to help the top players (because the nba wants the big names making big numbers). Harden is just doing a better job than everyone else taking advantage of it. Duncan was making the same (even if in a less showy way) move 15 years ago...
I think it is horrible for an announcer to say that when Harden hit the floor like he did, because it was an obviously terrible fall. I freaked out when I saw it, just like I did when Ariza hit the floor. Those two are tough as nails!!!! We are lucky they weren't injured last night, and that we came out with that win. Let's hope the refs stick with the rules they have all year when it comes to the 3pt fouls on Harden. If it changes, and they say they are just "letting them play" then I will scream "rigged playoffs"! They can't just change the rules to favor the teams the NBA wants to push all the way, but it does seem to happen. We will see.
Harden is just one of those guys to hate It's much easier for people to say, they were out jumped, out quicked than to say they were outwitted or tricked. Being tricked by Harden would be enraging because you end up looking/feeling like a fool. When Westbrook just runs faster, jumps higher, it's easier to get behind because there is already a feeling of helplessness and unattainability. There is nothing they can do about Westbrook's God-given athleticism; they're at a handicap from birth. When you're tricked into a foul or a euro step by Harden, they feel like they could have done something different in that moment to not look so dumb.
I love my Houston Homer play by play guys. They really are not that bad besides Clyde. Now that we have Ackerman and Bullard calling some games its tolerable. I couldnt do just Bill and Clyde. Bill is great as always, but I wish Calvin was still calling the game. Murph and Bill were classic. They are really not that much of homers. They cheer our team, get dissaspointed when they suck like we do, but they definitely give credit where credit is do to teams that out play us.
yeah i was watching that broadcast on leaguepass because they didn't have the rockets broadcast. that part really pissed me off. as we've said, these guys are the ones voting. harden will finish 2nd again :/ anyone know why he's so hated? is it the way he gets to the ft line? he can't be this disliked purely due to lack of defense, right?
I think the perception is the way he manufactures points by drawing whistles is cheap, and plus he doesn't appear to expend much effort with his style of play (as opposed to, say, Russel Westbrook). He will get more respect if he shows up big in the playoffs this year.
They are announcers for a team that has NEVER won an MVP of any kind (not even ROY). So their opinion doesn't count.
Idk which fker, but one of those Denver announcer was saying, Harden was trying to sell/flop when he took that nasty fall trying to block. Man could have been seriously injured, and u accusing him of flopping?
You are spot on about Harden and his game. He's not a flashy player, so he will never be the media darling. It is definitely commendable that he finds so many other ways to be elite. He is truly a one-of-a-kind talent. I'm a pessimist. I also try to look at the game as objectively as I can. I'm done living and dying with the rockets' successes/failures, but I still really love watching basketball. With that said, I don't dislike harden for drawing fouls on threes, but I hate it for the game of basketball as a whole, and I would rather it be a non-call. It rewards players too heavily for drawing fouls. Sometimes It's just so obvious he's not even trying to make the shot. It's a much more gimicky foul than the contact he draws on drives. but, if the ref's are going to call it, why not do it? It just concerns me because I see the better defenders wising up to it, and I don't want it to be something he relies on so heavily....
I don't see anyone in 1994-95 that should have won it over David Robinson (27.6ppg). His team was top seed in the league with 62. Shaq's Magic had 57 (4th) with 29.3 ppg could have been a consideration but that's it. Olajuwon had 27.8 ppg but missed 10 games that year and the team only had 47 wins.
I watched the first half of the Denver side of the broadcast. Their announcers are little haters.... they expected Denver to win. They literally spoke as if Denver was a contending team and every single call agsinst them was a controversy.
This really bothers me but I think you're right about this. It doesn't make sense, you'd think the average person would appreciate Harden's game because he isn't super athletic and has to be more crafty.
