u have to understand what Clint meant for Hardens game so when u dont have the lob threat teams can play Harden tighter it's not his game he will be fine move on to the next game and get ready for the small ball wont work after one lost out of 13 games
I’m not going to argue that he’s the best player on the team he is by degree at this point better than Russ but he has had like 5/6 “harden like” games since Jan 1. I don’t expect him to drop 40 or 50 every game but when his 3 ball isn’t falling and he just keeps jacking them up it’s a real serious problem and again he’s only had a few games where he’s looked like the best layer on the planet the last 9 weeks. You have got to admit it beyond concerning at this point .... Russ has given us more than I ever could have imagined but he’s not carrying us to a 2nd round playoff win maybe not even a 1st rounder either and this version of Harden has me very concerned he’s flaming out right when he needs to be surging ... he’s officially got me worried he’s on the decline for real... all the injury buzz really doesn’t explain much, conditioning and decreased athleticism are starting to look like real concerns to my eyes. Just to be clear I’m not a a hater I want that dude to win a championship as much as you and any true rocket fan but he’s got me worrying again ...
Yea it is....I have faith, better to through these slumps now than at the end of the post season. The switch defense could also be taxing on him idk. Its hard to say, he could be injured too. I dont know whats wrong with him but I'd rather all this stuff be happening now than later.
No other superstar gets as many weird excuses as Harden does. concussed during the spurs series Landed on his hand against Boston etc.
Good point, the trouble is he’s been more inconsistent than at any point in his career and I think you can see it in his face and body language he’s doubting himself even though he still trying to shoot through this .. the injury thing is always a possibility but truthfully I’m not buying it. I know he’s a bull and plays through a lot of stuff most guys never would but other than some minor things a while back he hasn’t had any big time serious looking impact type things that I’ve seen in any of the games and I’ve seen them all ... even the Celtics hand thing didn’t look all that bad on a relook. This slump is very weird man very weird ...
I actually believe he was concussed in that game but all the other excuses are wearing thin I agree !!!
Tell me something, I didnt watch the game, were the Clippers actually playing suffocating D or were we just missing shots? Like did they make it harder on Harden than usual?
This same Clippers team lost by 30 at Minny 2 weeks ago, stuff like this happens. It was Hardens total lack of drive and disinterest that has me most concerned. You would think he found out a close family member was dying. He totally, totally dialed this one in and his team followed him. I'm used to the occasional Harden pout by now, but this one was near Spurs playoffs, concussed, type I'm done...
I was thinking the same thing today. We have enough sample size. Every time the moments gets big, harden gets small
They were playing solid D but not suffocating, harden was doubles on some shots but not an inordinate amount. He just isn’t hitting shots at all, yeah he’s hitting iron most of the time but you can tell when why ar going up they aren’t going on most of the time and he is doing his dancing but with holding the ball and dribbling A LOT. He had least 4/5 open looks and came up empty. Bev was all over him when he guarded him but i would say it was an average defensive effort by LAC ... the biggest thing was everyone else was missing Ego was awful, Bac was terrible and they had many open looks. The only guy that shot well from 3 was Green and House later in garbage time Sorry for typos my iPhone is acting weird in autocorrect mode
Couldn’t have said it any better than this, this is what has been happening more and more and frankly a lot of our big wins lately have been more down to Russ willing us or carrying us to those wins not Harden. Sure he’s been a factor obviously but a good example is that Celts game where he all but threw it away and yeah he had some decent play in the OT but what the hell was he doing with less than a min left all but pissing the game away with lazy sloppy play. It’s like his head isn’t in the game many times the last two months and tonight he was gone once they got up by 20. He was trying to home run it is the 3rd and then just kept playing sloppier and low IQ as the quarter went on and they started to curb stomp us. The media has pegged him as a bit of a Head case and they aren’t completely wrong as far as I’m concerned any more
I didn't see the game, but for everyone wondering about Harden's mental state, I'd say you're probably right. I've wondered about it for years. My question is: why is that somehow his fault? Why is there any fault presumed? Maybe the constant pressure of impossible expectations coupled with downright vile, inhuman levels of hatred directed at him from nearly everywhere...actually does get to him. Or warps his perspective. Or maybe it's something else entirely. But, supposing this is some sort of mental block, is the guy allowed to have those sorts of problems? YES. No amount of money a person gets paid means they're suddenly automatically not human anymore. The real question is: Is anyone trying to help him? I highly doubt it. Even though things have gotten somewhat better, society is still grossly ignorant of mental health issues and how to deal with them. And it sure seems like it's even worse in sports. I look at a training staff for any sport. Do I see a mental health counselor and psychiatrist on there? No. Well, that's stupid. Do I ever hear about teams trying to get guys therapy or medications or just better mental health habits? No. You can have an army of physical medical professionals, and they might squeeze 1-2% more out of a player by keeping their body in shape. But meanwhile, that guy's in a mental slump and barely functioning at 50%. And his only outlets are his team, coach, and friends, none of whom likely have a chance of helping him work through much deeper, more complicated, more personal things that need professional attention. It's like painting a car that's corroding from the inside with a nice shiny, expensive paint job. These guys get plucked out of school in their teens and early 20s, get handed contracts and agents and get thrown into this world that doesn't in any way resemble the actual world. I'd say they have a higher likelihood than most of developing mental and emotional issues in that sort of environment. Who's helping them through all this? The first professional team that REALLY figures this out is going to have some shocking success. Source: Me, who's taken every med, been to every type of therapy, read so many books, talked to so many people, and has ground out over 15 years (over the same age range as all these athletes) trying to piece together some combination that helps. All in a bizarre workplace around clueless people under crushingly high stakes. I can't help but feel some degree of empathy for those guys in any sport. They're still human beings.
James has never been a “Russ” that’s for sure but he clearly a step or two slower since early this year, I swear ever since that weird bull **** in San Antonio and the contested game he’s just not been the same driving to the hole consistently ... he’s always been crafty and less about athleticism than many other superstars, but given the number of blocks we've seen lately the eye test says he is moving much slower than he has in the past, although not having Capela seems to be impacting him a lot more when he drives than I would have expected
[QUOTE="SL They're still human beings.[/QUOTE] Very true ... I doubt we would ever truly know though is a pretty private dude but i always got the feeling that the hate/shade motivates him. Hard to know in his case. I do think he has been pressing a lot and it’s had a long term affect on his game as a whole... he even has been pretty sloppy with his handles which we’re unreal before this slump ...
Make this thread after a win and I will have respect for you. After a loss you just look like a child
Obviously he never possessed Russ athleticism but it's so clear he he's moving multiple steps faster in that 2017-2018 season. His handle is wicker, his foot speed is quicker, his shot release is quicker. He's also making tough finished around the rim. He just looks really lean that year. .
Harden is NOT a champion; not in hiS DNA. We’ve seen this for the last 11 years. He’ll never win a chip, but will instead go out as one of the highest paid athletes with multiple scoring titles and no rings. Squandered prime Dwight, Prime CP3 and now Prime Westbrook. He’ll find a way to choke at the biggest stage/moment whether the regular season or the playoffs.
