Can you believe that all those years of McHale calling ISO plays for Harden would pay off? LOF turning in their graves
Depending on how define cheating. In wrestling, they will have different weight classes, maybe they should do that too for basketball.
That’s what I am talking about. A friend of mine never gets why people love watching bunch of taller dudes dunk on shorter dudes. So ...
I was thinking about this, and in my tired, sleep-deprived state, I came up with an interesting thought: James Harden DOESN'T play the game the RIGHT way. No, because it the "right" way to play basketball does not allow for someone to be good at everything, particularly offensively. That's where this delineation of different positions over the years came from. Harden gets as many free throws as big men living in the paint. But he makes them at a percentage most guards could only dream of. He also is plenty capable of just sliding right past defenders on a drive or floating the ball over them. One thing I hadn't even thought about is that this in this historic scoring year, I've also seen fewer blatant attempts by James to try to bail himself out at the line on drives. So few that I completely forgot that he used to do it occasionally. Well, that's probably because he also shoots AND MAKES more threes than anyone. The making part is pretty important *coughwestbrookcough*. Oh, and he doesn't shoot threes the "right" way. I guess the "right" way is to catch and shoot an open shot after a pass from someone else. Harden does it the much harder, practically incomprehensible way of just doing it right in his defender's face. And he's good at it. (And these poor, stupid sods still foul him on those shots.) I mean, there's nothing "right" about that. Ever see James Harden playing or defending the post? Pretty damn good at it. But that's not his proper position. That's not "right." I wish we talked more in terms of points created, also, because let's not forget that Harden often has double digit assists in a game. I'd love to also talk about points that "should have been created," because James has been denied a lot of assists by his teammates. The most "unright" thing about all of this is that he'll do it all to you in the same game. (And there are all the other points any of you can bring up about his defense this year as well, but that's a whole other media sacred cow to turn into hamburger.) It's certainly not "right" that one person is doing all of this. But it feels pretty good watching someone being so damn wrong.
So Harden is unathletic now? He is far above in strenght and hand quickness, when he was younger he was one of the fastest guys according to predraft measurments. He just paces himself
Obviously it's that bum Luke Walton, who wanted to play a "beautiful brand of basketball", that prevented a cheating avg of 40 PPG if LeBron wanted to.
Cheating the basketball fan out of their pleasure? That’s the most stupid thing I have ever heard. Anybody here ever complained that Harden was boring and he is cheating on us fans? We may criticize him here and there just like any fans of any team on their players. Opposing fans, they gonna hate no matter what. I freaking hate the Doncic kid because I hate Mavs and Cuban for passion. So is there supposed to be a universal basketballl game everyone should like?
Video dude says "manipulating" the game, which shows that he does not know what "manipulating" even means. That would mean that Harden either handles the game in his hands like an object, which is impossible, or he controls the mind of the game, which is also impossible. As for "cheating" the game, that too is impossible. You can only cheat people. So is Harden "cheating" people? The've got three refs and cameras on him and Secaucus watching all the time. He's not hiding anything. This whole concept results from weak language and consequently weak thought.
I thought this video was pretty well done. Firstly, he makes the case why Harden is a once in a lifetime talent. He uses real stats with video support, which is more than the lazy national journalists do. Then he pivots to discussing why people don't like his style of play. This isn't breaking news here but he illustrates it well. He also supports the position why he's not 'cheating' as the refs are doing their job. If he was cheating, the refs would call it. He lays this out very well. Some of you are snow flakes if you take offense to why he's so great, yet controversial. I wish the national media would be forced to watch this before spewing their hatred.
What kills me is I remember the same people lauding kobe for drawing fouls, especially when his shot wasn't falling. They'd be like, scorers find a way to score...but when Harden does it, it's cheap. When Curry takes a crazy 3 off the dribble, its breathtaking. But somehow when Harden does it, it's traveling. When Iverson ISOed, he was a great scorer. When Harden does it, its "boring" even though he makes them more.
Kobe and Iverson both took a LOT of heat for being an ISO player. So did Stevie Franchise. Nobody is disputing Harden is a great scorer. Just searched "Kobe Ball Hog" and first result is "Kobe is the biggest ball hog in the NBA". Totally agree on point re: Curry. He's the golden child, untouchable. It' maddening.
You know what's sad? All this hateful BS perpetrated by these hateful people out there in the various forms of media is depriving a lot of just normal fans from appreciating the most beautiful season James Harden has had. Harden's been incredible for many seasons, but in this season in particular, many of the "uglier" aspects of his game have all but disappeared in parallel with his continued improvement in offensive supremacy. Here are three I, as a Houston fan watching him over the years, have picked out: 1) His defense is the best it's ever been. It's elite in certain aspects, e.g. steals, deflections, and post. Yes, we know that the Harden defense narrative is still stuck 5 years in the past, but people are missing out on watching some really objectively impressive defense this year because of that. Watching Harden flummox these 7' centers trying to post up on him is mesmerizing. 2) James is not looking for bailouts at the foul line on drives anymore. For all of us here who've watched him over the years, we very easily knew when he was legit fouled trying to go to the basket and when he was just driving into its vicinity hoping to get to the line. I personally thought that was one of the uglier aspects of his game. And it only dawned on me yesterday that I don't recall seeing him do that this year. Or not enough to be memorable. 3) James' attitude may be the most impressive thing this season. I cringed a little a bit in the past years when he'd do his little chef celebration or tell the media that he felt he was the best player in the world. This year, though, he's been a stalwart leader. His attitude has been serious and toned down and just focused on on getting his team the win. He been impressively mature this year; not just by comparison with his past selves but, really, compared to anybody in the league. Past recent MVP winners have been making real asses out of themselves. Harden is just intensely focused on leading whatever troops he has into battle. It's the sort of attitude I would tell a child to revere. Harden's playing a really beautiful game this year, and it's a real shame so many people aren't getting to see it in its raw form and make up their own minds.
Is Giannis cheating the game when he barrels down the lane and draws contact? Where is the media outrage? ......anyone? anyone? anyone????????
Before around 2014 or 2015, the leading narrative was “you have to find ways to get to the line for easy points vs tough defense in the playoffs”
To hell with this fool. Cheating my ass. Play the right way. What a f**king joke. Giannis learned bully ball from LBJ. I watched from the 70s to now with Dr J, Moses, Kareem, Magic, Bird, and so on. I saw Jordan highlights from high school and saw every college and pro game of his career. I thought there would never be another like him. A wiry, relentless competitor that was every bit as good a defender as a creative scoring machine. His athleticism was off the charts because he just wanted everything so much more than anyone I had ever seen. The Dream was another unicorn that had a quiet inner drive that was relentless. Having said that, I have never seen anything like Harden and we will never see it again. McGrady had that miraculous 13 in 33 but I feel that even Harden topped that and has done so many more miraculous things. Harden is a force of nature and this season is like his revenant form that is just unstoppable. He has a level of greatness to him that we have only briefly seen from the absolute very best. I loved this dude when they sent Brodie to the bench to rest and put him in for the Thunder. KD always thrived with him in. I know because initially I watched the Thunder as a KD fan but stayed for the Beard. Never in a million years did I envision this. Luka, Joker, and others will try to copy the Beard but there can be only one. Kobe was not this good, Harden even in many ways surpasses Jordan and even the Dream. When his career is done we were witnesses to perhaps one of the absolute best. People ask why should we care what the media say? When you allow the stench of a lie to live people have always rewritten history to suit their own agenda because you allow it. As fans, we owe it to Harden, our team, and the disrespect our city gets to shut this crap down when we see it. You get the world you allow to happen. They already bad mouth us so who really wants to back down in hopes of winning the best behaved reward. To hell with that mentality.
What’s so ridiculous is Curry tries to flail and kicks his legs out to get the calls. The media loves Curry so they don’t hyperfocus on him and say he’s cheating the game with how he tries to draw fouls with his flopping and flailing. Also, he isn’t big enough or durable enough to do what Harden does driving to the hole as many times a game as he does. Curry would be playing 30 games a year if he played as physically as Harden does. People act like Harden just casually runs at the basket and gets fouls magically called for him. It’s so lame how people denigrate Harden’s skills and add in caveats when they compliment his game like he’s doing it with smoke and mirrors.
Giannis drew more fouls than Harden this season, where are the cries of cheating or bemoaning of fairness lost?
