This is a great piece by Zach Lowe: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/zachlowe26559923/james-harden-breaking-defense-embarrassed-him It’s truly amazing just how much Harden has transformed his game. Just 3 years ago, it was not uncommon to see him pound the rock only to throw it to a covered teammate with the shot clock winding down. You almost never see that anymore. After that Spurs series Harden really stepped it up and made tweaks to his game to make himself unguardable!
Very interesting read, not just for how Harden evolved but how the Rockets still have work to do to solve some of the new defenses teams like the Bucks can throw at him.
Funny we dont see this in depth analysis of Giannis. Oh yea cause his game is just dunks....how exciting. I'm still waiting on the Kobe details Giannis lol
Good read. We’re blessed to have a player like Harden (a top 30 all time player at this point, lol I stil can’t believe we got this lucky) who doesn’t mire in his deficiencies but willing to work on them. I was as mad as anyone after the Spurs series but didn’t doubt he’d figure it out to a degree. I didn’t expect him to become the greatest offensive player of all time because of it though.
Sure, but a defensive version could get wild considering the space he can cover with his length and speed.
I've been watching clips of playoff series from before last season and it's amazing how much his game has evolved. He has so many moves now that he really is virtually unguardable. And despite the media narrative, he doesn't rely on foul calls to score. He's good enough to get 30 without a single free throw. Getting to the line simply means he'll score 40-50 now.
Naw man, that guy Jim Jackson or w.e his name is that played for the suns could do the same thing when he played for D’Antoni.
This. It used to be that Harden was seeking contact for free throws every trip down the court. Now he’s looking to score, but if he gets fouled it’s an added bonus. He doesn’t need free throws to get his points.
I said this before the jazz series n is looking like a genius....that myth that harden still needs freethrows is do old n needs to die
It’d get to him too. He’d get flustered and then deteriorate throughout the game. Now he doesn’t trip. He resets, and understands that if he’s not going to get the calls he’ll unleash another option.
Where is the breakdown of how the Greek Freak is completely changing the game and how game plans are drafted to stop him and him alone, oh wait he isn't doing that....good article though.
Developing the floater is a win/win. It's adds another lethal aspect to his game, and limits the need for contact in the paint. Less chance of an injury. I have been amazed at how the man has improved his game, esp. on defense. I think a lot of voters are gonna regret choosing Giannis.
This important tidbit was discussed by Brevin Knight and Vince Carter during NBAtv's postgame coverage. The inability to understand that conversation by the host offended me, as he steered the conversation back to "why not play him straight up, you're just giving him a free pass." It's baffling how stupid some tv analysts and hosts are today. The old players played under a different sent of defensive and offensive rules and really don't understand anything (Shaq, Kenny, Charles). Knight and Carter were doing a pretty good job there...I'll try to find the clip and post it later. But the main point here is that Rubio and Gobert (most of the time) were doing a decent job of implementing their scheme, but it takes a team effort and Mitchell is screwing things up for them.
Yeah... Lowe could have framed this piece far better. So the whole piece is about how the league has looked for ways to stop Harden and he has become unstoppable. Yet Lowe voted for Westbrook and Gianis. Whatever dude. Kiss my arse.
We’ll never know...but I’ll always think Harden was hurt or concussed in that Game 6. No way you can chalk it up to just being tired. Having said that...it is beyond absurd how much he has improved in just 2 seasons since then.
