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[Yahoo/Michael Lee] How taking a step back helped James Harden take a step forward in MVP race

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Deuce, Mar 21, 2018.

  1. Deuce

    Deuce Context & Nuance

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    “I’m not one of those guys. I know what I bring to the table. And I’m not selfish at all,” Harden said of why he sought out Paul. “You bring in another leader, another playmaker. A guy who can facilitate, score on his own, leader on and off the court, it helps a lot. It’s two of us now. Makes my job a lot easier and hopefully, I make his job a lot easier as well.”

    ---

    Though Harden and Paul aren’t consumed by statistics, they continue to come in abundance. Harden leads the league in scoring and player-efficiency rating, while forming with Paul the only pair of teammates with player efficiency ratings above 26. Paul’s assist average is the lowest since his rookie season but his scoring is up from last season. Harden has also seen his assists dip by more than two from his league-leading average last season with the presence of the game’s most respected floor general. Still, someone would have to make up significant ground to catch him in the MVP race. Paul has already declared, “it’s not even going to be close.”

    “Have you been watching? A lot of people just get the alert on their phones. Double-double, triple-double, whatever,” Paul told Yahoo Sports, in response to question about Harden’s case for the honor. “I watch every game that comes on, every night. If you’re just getting alerts on your phone and see what the stats are, you don’t know what’s happening. I see the work that he puts in day in and day out. I see what our record is and how many games I’ve been out [11-7]. We got a ways to go but to me, I get a chance to see what he does for our team.”
     
    #1 Deuce, Mar 21, 2018
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  2. Deuce

    Deuce Context & Nuance

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    "Crush Souls!"

     
    #2 Deuce, Mar 21, 2018
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  3. FTW Rockets FTW

    FTW Rockets FTW Contributing Member

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    Regarding the other step back on the court

    James always had a step back except that now that stepback is beyond the arc and worth 3 points

    I see a lot of NBA players trying to imitate Harden with the step back move

    Legendary
     
    #3 FTW Rockets FTW, Mar 21, 2018
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  4. Amiga

    Amiga 10 years ago...
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    Best at braking. Step forward, brake, step back. Other may try, but without the best brake, they can't create as much space.
     
    #4 Amiga, Mar 21, 2018
  5. onreego

    onreego Member

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    Yup. Napier did pretty much a carbon copy step back last night.
     
    #5 onreego, Mar 21, 2018
  6. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    #6 J.R., Mar 21, 2018
  7. hakeem94

    hakeem94 Member

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    It's an embarrassment. I think the league is so happy with all the scoring that it doesn't want to enforce stuff like that.
     
    #7 hakeem94, Mar 21, 2018
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  8. YOLO

    YOLO Member

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    napier has had a stepback move since his days at Uconn
     
    #8 YOLO, Mar 21, 2018
  9. hakeemthagreat

    hakeemthagreat Member

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    I love the fact Harden's having a MVP season. But man, was getting CP the best move of the century or what. CP allows Harden to have energy to finish games strong. He can go back to scoring all he wants because we got CP here to balance the game out. Its a match made in heaven. CP can distribute without having to carry the load, and Harden can put up as many shots as he wants without worrying about getting others involved as much. Both are unselfish & want to see each other win. Both can score & pass. I'm telling you, we have something SPECIAL. MDA can possibly go down as one of the GOAT coaches if we keep at his pace
     
    #9 hakeemthagreat, Mar 21, 2018
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  10. duluth111222

    duluth111222 I.D.I.O.T

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    Other players use step-backs all the time. It's not like Harden invented it. BUT he's THE BEST at it. Step-Daddy!
     
    #10 duluth111222, Mar 21, 2018
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  11. onreego

    onreego Member

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    Has it always been similar to Harden's? The timing of his gather and stepback looked pretty close on the one he took last night.
     
    #11 onreego, Mar 21, 2018
  12. YOLO

    YOLO Member

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    its a stepback jumper however which way you want to look at it. some players use it and some players dont. napier didn't just start using it
     
    #12 YOLO, Mar 21, 2018
  13. apollo33

    apollo33 Member

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    it's awesome Harden can just randomly develop a deadly and difficult move out of nowhere, especially at this stage in his career. He just came back randomly this season and started doing it
     
    #13 apollo33, Mar 21, 2018
  14. onreego

    onreego Member

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    K.
     
    #14 onreego, Mar 21, 2018
  15. Reeko

    Reeko Member

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    true...1 move I don’t really recall players using tho until Harden unleashed it was the side stepback

     
    #15 Reeko, Mar 21, 2018
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