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[TheRinger.com] Making Sense of James Harden, the NBA's Premiere Heel

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Williamson, Dec 6, 2019.

  1. SamFisher

    SamFisher Contributing Member

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    This part is the most disingenuous.

    Every single discussion of Harden in the playoffs is exclusively focused on the negative.

    The counter is not just the mitigating circumstances, it's the fact that that the successes are pretty much ignored.

    Look at the way this is framed:

    The list of Harden’s poor postseason performances is long and pitiful. In 2015, he was benched for all but the final minute of the fourth quarter in a decisive Game 6 against the Clippers in

    Since the Rockets won that game, it wasn't a "decisive" game 6, it was an elimination game.

    You know what was also an elimination game? Game 5. You know what was also an elimination game, and a "decisive" one at that? Game 7. The Rockets blitzed the Clippers and Harden was his usual self, but it won't get mentioned.

    Ask the Timberwolves when Harden took about 8 minutes in the third period of Game 4 to turn what was effectively a tied series into a Gentleman's Sweep.

    Ask the Utah Jazz if Harden is a playoff choker. I mean "butt guarding". That actually happened!

    I'll look up some more later but fora guy who the NBA twitterverse says is absent in April he somehow managed to have a ton of 30 and 40 point games.
     
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  2. ParaSolid

    ParaSolid Member

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    Ah, Haley o’shaugnessy. Have you guys ever heard her on their nba podcasts? She can’t ever be accused of knowing her basketball
     
  3. ParaSolid

    ParaSolid Member

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    It’s cool that that’s how you read it. But if you’ve heard this author on the ringer podcasts, then you’d know what her opinion of the Rockets and Harden is.
     
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  4. durvasa

    durvasa Contributing Member

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    Well, in the last paragraph she literally says all the criticism he gets is a “shame” and “disappointing” given the unreached heights he’s reached. So I don’t know how else one could read it. Her personal views on how fun it is to watch him play doesn’t mean she thinks the overstated criticism he receives is fair.
     
  5. ParaSolid

    ParaSolid Member

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    You know as well as we all do that one can write an opinion or article one way while not really believing it at all. All I’ve heard from her in all the podcasts involving the Rockets or Harden is that she personally does not care for either thing.

    She wrote that article because Simmons wants them to zig while others zag. Doesn’t mean she really means what she’s writing. Furthermore, the tone of the article and the things in it (just see the portion quoted but SamFisher) clearly illustrate the way she feels about Harden and the Rockets.
     
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  6. durvasa

    durvasa Contributing Member

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    Could be. I’m just going based of what I read here. I don’t remember her previous comments about the Rockets. I haven’t been a regular reader or listener of her content.
     
  7. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Contributing Member

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  8. hakeem94

    hakeem94 Member

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  9. Gray_Jay

    Gray_Jay Member

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    hakeem94 likes this.
  10. Gray_Jay

    Gray_Jay Member

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    It came from Bill Simmons's work. Why are we surprised again?

    I don't get why the popular media dislikes Houston, or hates coming here to cover the teams. On paper, we've everything they claim to appreciate: tremendous cultural and national diversity; amazing food, arts, and culture. Yet you can read in their writing---from Esquire to SI---that they curse Moloch that the Houston teams aren't based in Austin.
     
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  11. Jontro

    Jontro Member

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    brehs should paste whole articles when it comes to these sites, including bspn. don't give them clicks breh
     
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  12. francis 4 prez

    francis 4 prez Contributing Member

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    while i agree that harden doesn't have a defining moment and i'm not going to say he hasn't had seriously bad moments (i still go with the concussion idea for the spurs series, it's the only thing that makes any sense), it is definitely true that no consideration is given to anything good he has done. like the 2015 warriors series where everyone remembers the game 5 turnover debacle, they don't remember that he had 2 of the highest game scores of the entire playoff decade just in that series. but since one was a close loss in oracle in game 1 (i think the warriors were 39-2 at home that year), i guess harden retroactively doesn't get credit for stepping up since he knew we were going to lose the game anyway. the other was when we were down 3-0, so it also doesn't matter (but the game 5 turnovers down 3-1 AFTER the great 3-0 game are super important).

    harden averaged 35/7/5.5 last year against the warriors and even scored 12 points in the 4th quarter of game 6 and all anyone says is "man, what about game 6 without KD?". he put him better offensive number having KD around to guard him for 5 games than kawhi did in the finals with no KD and klay out for a game and a half, but you'd think he put up 20/5/4 the way people talk.

    the part you quoted about game 7 against the warriors in 2018 is particularly crazy. he scored 32 in a game 7 but we'll only focus on the part that was outright bad (the 3's). his overall efficiency was mediocre but nothing noteworthy for a single game, especially given a) it was a brutal defensive series, b) game 7's are notoriously low efficiency because everyone is worn out (a day later boston shot similarly horribly on 3's while losing to cleveland), and c) harden's only other creating teammates WAS INJURED. do you realize how long the list is of great players who've shot worse/scored less against way crappier competition with more help in a big playoff game? for the series harden had 27/8/7 i believe but again you'd think he put up 20/5/4.

    the guy has averaged something like 29/8/6 in 2 series against an all-time elite team, with a litany of defenders perfectly suited to guarding him, while being the leader of the only team to even remotely challenge them the last 3 years and it's written off as 2 playoff chokes.

    i mean, look at steph curry. what's his big playoff moment? it would basically be okc game 7 and that's about it. he got delly'd in his first finals against an injured team. choked away the next finals on a 73 win team. got punked out of finals mvp by his new teammate in 2 boring finals. then lost as soon as his new teammate got hurt. but thanks to kyrie/love/paul's injuries and durant saving him, he gets to pull out the "3 rings" argument and get saved from criticism.


    on a side note, it was hilarious to listen to Dunc'd On's best playoff performances of the 2010's podcast a few weeks ago. they probably mentioned 20-25 games overall. steph curry has had 6 of the top 100 Game Scores of the decade. they mentioned 5 of his 6 games (even managed to get in a 40 point game in a first round sweep or new orleans as a memorable game?). klay has had 0 of the top 100. they mentioned 3 (i agree game 6 against okc should be mentioned). kevin durant has had 11. i think they mentioned only 2 (hmm, which team does he not play for any more?). harden has had 5. zero mentions. westbrook 5. zero mentions.

    it was basically just a "hey, remember when steph or klay had that pretty good game?" podcast. the regular season was even funnier because i think they mentioned 3 more klay games and 4 more steph games while somehow mentioning harden only ONCE. harden has 7 of the top 21 game scores of the decade and they couldn't even mention the ridiculous 53/17/16 game (or a 61/15 or 56/13 game)? i don't even like westbrook but they somehow only remember one of his. and again, kevin durant with 11 top 100 regular season games. zero mentions.

    i love their in depth, nothing but basketball angle, but damn they are such warriors homers.
     
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  13. Nook

    Nook Member

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    Nah we are genuinely hated.... and the Raiders have been laughed for the last 35 years.
     
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  14. tmoney1101

    tmoney1101 Contributing Member

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    Toooo sweeeettt!
     
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  15. Smacktle

    Smacktle Contributing Member

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    I'll be glad to take the mantle from the GSWs and become the most hated team in the league!

    Hate on!
     
    hakeem94 likes this.
  16. ParaSolid

    ParaSolid Member

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    Rockets need to start drilling teams and it’ll be perfect.
     
  17. JazzLakerHater

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    Man, who would of thought at the start of this decade we would have the most hated NBA and MLB team at the end of the decade.

    Embrace it Houston. We need to go full on Raiders Patriots style.
     
  18. JW86

    JW86 Member

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    Rockets going Bad Boys would be awesome. Bring in more hatable, tough guys and Harden should actually say: "Yes, I told MDA to get him out and actually my mind was made up right there, he needs to go. That's exactly what I was thinking about in one of the most important games of my life. How I would love to get rid of the one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game and my solution was to tell coach like a little girl and then walk away with:

    [​IMG]
     
  19. Raven

    Raven Member

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    Passive aggressive hit piece.
     

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