Colin Cowherd: Championship is there for James Harden to take it

James Harden better come correct tonight

 

Legacy is defined by an accumulation of successes or failures.

Winning two closeout games, one on the road, is not an easy task. But, given his history, its the kind of thing Harden needs to have on his resume if we wants to be in the conversation of greatest 2 or 3 shooting guards of all time.

 

I mean....he’s right. Same for Chris Paul.

You already blew a golden opportunity in Game 5. If you get punked by a KD-less Warriors on your home floor the same way you got punked by a Kawhi-less Spurs on your home floor, and lose to the Warriors for the 4th time in 5 years, yeah....that’s probably how your legacy is going to be remembered by most non-Rockets fans. Tonight’s a legacy game. Lose this and they deserve all the criticism that’ll come.

 

It is like that but it shouldn’t be.

The Rockets being up 3-2 with no Chris Paul against GSW is not the same as the Warriors being up 3-2 with no Durant against the Rockets. This Warriors team won a championship with how they are, not to mention CP isn’t what he was last season and Capela basically being nullified.

It shouldn’t ride all on Harden, but the media will paint it that way. He will need to have a gargantuan effort this postseason, even if we somehow come out of this series, you still need to beat a high scoring team in the WCF and you still need to beat a much tougher East team compared to last year.

It’ll be tough, but if Harden somehow manages to bring the title back to Houston, that title should weigh more than a regular title.

 

Well, Barkley got one of the best TV gigs though.

 

Nope, it is still a normal title. He can thank Morey for not building a dynasty team.

Dude is a multiple MVP caliber dude. The standard should be even higher IMO.

 

Harden and Paul both. They are our max-contract team leaders. If they don't both show up in a possibly series-ending home game, then I'm not convinced they'll magically figure it out before next year when they're both a year older.

 

But that’s just it, some of that should fall on Morey.

Harden has eventually played as the underdog in every single final playoff series he’s played in Houston, Lebron never had to do that in the East, look how far that got him in the West, and now we should coincidentally blame it on age? Nah. Curry has never played as an underdog since Steve Kerr has been there.

The road to the finals for Harden has not been as easy as it’s been for Curry, Durant, Lebron, Giannis. That’s a fact.

If we don’t get through this series understandably he will get criticism despite his statistics this series. That being said, it’s important to understand that it’s not all on him.

 

Who is the best player on this Rockets team? Who is the current MVP? Yea, it’s ALL on Harden. It may not be “fair” and he’ll need help but it IS all on him, no doubt about it.

Time to shine and if we go down tonight Harden better go down guns a blazin’. I’ll be right there screaming at my TV for Harden and Co. to take it back to Oakland and then put it away.

 

This is the biggest window/opportunity to get a chip, just have to take it

 

I am not saying you should not upgrade the title to some special title per se but if you do so.... those 2 Hakeem won, should be upgraded to 2 plus as well.

Hakeem had it tough as well, he had the GOAT playing in his era.

Lots of BS intensity and hard fouls.

 

Well in significance it'll be similar to olajuwon carrying a team by himself (no other super stars in 94), I'd say 2nd behind what olajuwon did (Paul could still show up).

 

Right, I meant it'd be like 94 19 95 (95 is tough to just toss aside though.. they won as a 6th seed and were written off after the hot start)

 

Yeah no argument that the narrative is that it is “all on him”, I just hope that we as fans should recognize the truth. Tonight he needs to show up though.

Cheer hard and loud!!!

 

I totally agree, Hakeems titles were not easy to attain especially because of the era.

 

He still needs help. This what people don't understand. The reason we haven't won 4-1 in series so far is because people like Capela and Paul haven't stepped up at all.

You think Curry, Durant or Thompson carries the Warriors to championships on their own?

 

I disagree when he says Klay Thompson legacy is cemented today. That clown doesn't sniff a championship if he didn't play on an all-star team the majority of his career. Let's see him go to the Clippers, be "the guy" and win more championships. Not going to happen.

 

I checked up on Nash and he only won rings as consultant w/ Warriors for the last 2 years