[ClutchFans] Jeremy Lin, James Harden after Rockets' 125-103 win over Sixers

It's not that easy to cool down

 

He probably sweats easy. I still sweat after a good game of basketball after I've stopped playing for 20 minutes and taken a shower.

 

*edit.

Damn, I' just watched the Lin post game interview. Dudes sweating like there's no tomorrow! LOL!

 

Harden, IMO, has elite acceleration and elite speed/direction change. His body control is amazing. This prevents players from anticipating. If you have someone with straight line speed, the defender can try go get in front of him. But with Harden, you can't anticipate because he'll adjust during the drive.

 

People seem to think that Harden is slow and not that athletic because he plays an old man's game. But he is a great player because he plays within his speed. But a lot of people don't know that James Harden, though doesn't look like it, has a higher running vertical than Blake Griffin.

James Harden has a really quick first step and he uses his euro-step so well that its almost impossible to defend. Notice how easily he jumps up and snatch the ball in mid air (like KG does) whenever opponents are shooting during dead balls. But overall, his game doesn't really require a lot of athleticism because its all fundamental and skills but in reality, he does have the athleticism that a lot of people do not notice.

 

Whenever you're sweating a lot from an exercise and exhausted, you can take a shower and you're body is still sweating. Taking a shower doesn't make your body stop sweating especially the water being hot which keeps you sweating also.

If you notice most athletes after showers that are being interview, they are still sweating and constantly wiping their sweats still.

 

Spot on!

 

I really love how slow, deliberate and in control James Harden plays. Jab step, pump fake, jab step x2, and before you know he's at the rim and you're whistled for the foul.

Personally I have already seen him make some amazingly athletic plays. Let the ESPN chuckleheads say whatever they want, he has all the athleticism he needs.

 

Don't think he was sweating, during interview he was in a hurry, didn't even dry off.

 

To be able to cut and change direction the way he does you HAVE to be an elite athlete. I think the long languid strides he takes lends to people saying hes got 'sneaky atheleticism' or ghosts to the basket. But not many people can move the way he does.

 

Where can you get those shoes like Harden's? I know Jeremy rocks them too but last time i checked they arent making them anymore. But i see James with a new pair every now and then..

 

You see it everyday right?

 

Maybe it's the beard? For some reason I associate guys with beards as more laid back.

 

Exactly! Love that quote it sounds like a natural phenomenon!!

 

The eurostep covers a lot of ground, but at the end, a player is not in a position to explode to the basket. It makes a player look less athletic.

 

my theory on harden's athleticisim is that he doesn't waste energy trying to dunk on opposition. dude is all about getting to the rim and layups which is fine with me. his first step is freakishly long but i think its so smooth we don't see the burst. i'm sure if it wasn't full of burst the opposition would have figured it out by now.

as far as lin is concerned, i'm happy for him, he seems to be finding his niche on this team. the more the chemistry develops between him and harden the better this team will be.

 

The Rockets have accelerometers built into their practice jerseys. According to a Daryl Morey, Harden is not even in the top 3 for acceleration just on Houston.

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=230064&page=4

This fact precludes him from having elite athleticism when compared to the most athletic wings in the NBA, at least by traditional measures. His first step is not elite.

Harden does have athletic gifts, though. He's big and strong. He uses this to his advantage. From his ease of dunking off of one foot, he also appears to have a good unilateral vertical jump, but I haven't checked his wingspan. Perhaps he just has long arms.

There's a GM survey sent out each year and one of the questions is something like "Which player makes the most of his talent?" The top vote getters are almost always white players. Harden would be a good addition to that list.

Harden's average acceleration probably has a lot to do with why he's not a defensive stopper. And it certainly explains why the most athletic defenders in the league give him a lot of trouble if his mental game wavers even a little.

 

I think someone mentioned Harden has better hops than Griffen, he's just not as tall.

I don't think Harden has as much pure acceleration, but I think he may have more lateral power; Lin's post-Philly-win interview mentioned that the eurostep is all about having a powerful second step, not first step, and it needs to change direction. ie. a side-to-side motion as he goes downhill.

Lin himself has a great first step, but his deceleration and conditioning isn't all there yet, whereas Harden just has great all-around conditioning and core strength (which helps with balance during rapid direction changes).