Why isn't Harden driving (and trying to finish) more?

Playoff basketball is different. Not only are opposing teams more locked in defensively and better prepared to deny drives to the basket, you also have to exert far effort on the defensive end yourself which takes away the energy needed for attacking the basket.

 

Sorry didn’t feel like going back and adding all the numbers from every year.

Here’s the link to the drive stats.

https://stats.nba.com/players/drives/?Season=2019-20&SeasonType=Regular Season&sort=DRIVES&dir=1

Didn’t look at everything earlier. He is also passing it 2 more times off his drives in the playoffs compared to regular season.

 

Ding Ding! We have a winner! I think he should do that whenever he gets a mismatch throughout the game. He hit a stepback soon after he posted up in the 4th in Game 2.

 

1. Dort played amazing D yesterday
2. Harden still had an amazing game.
3. He can still get to the rim but IMO he is taking wht is there.
4. If we play like this for 20 more games, we are winning the title.

 

just curious

how many drives per game do you think he should be at? or at least at what level? like giannis drives level?

he took 11 threes last game

how many drives do you think he had? just a guess

 

If Dort is that pesky. There's also non 1:1 wrinkles Rockets can run like setting double screens to get free for a jumper or a new angle at driving to the hoop.

 

Harden is converting 2 point shots at over 80% in the bubble. I could be wrong, but the guys on at&t said in the kings game that he was only behind Giannis when it came to converting in the restricted area since the restart

 

Honestly I think he's just mastered the pace of the playoffs. The game has gone at the pace James Harden wants for like 2 years now, the most talented team in NBA history couldn't fight it off. They played our pace, they were forced into isoball.

I think he's just pacing himself, and that's wise because he's not at peak fitness yet. I think by round 2 we will see peak Harden, as insane as that is to think about given his performances thus far.

Plus, very important: it is working insanely well. We are powerfully up 2-1 with Westbrook out. This team is acing this assignment, whatever it's doing. Would have been nice to be 3-0, but we have to trust the process. Harden seems to be more aware of not burning himself out for bigger games.

 

Cuz dort

 

or that's what's OKC's giving him , he's extremely careful with not turning the ball over, and he's pacing not to over exhaust and injure himself (see Luka)

for this playoffs.. he's second in points on drives with 15 points per game with absolutely ZERO turnovers per game.. only behind Luka and Kawhi who are tied at first with 16 points per game

Giannis is only producing 9.3 ppg on drives and Lebron only 8 ppg pn drives

that's still elite considering the rockets is missing their 2nd best player and $40m/year hole in the lineup

if there's anything to complain about, it's his 3 pt pctg. but it sure is alot better to get those out these early in the playoffs

 

Harden scored at will in the first half inside the paint. That stopped in the second half mostly due to Dort.

 

I liked when Harden posted up last night. He did it 2-3 times and I think it led to buckets. I think he should do more of that and have guys cut to the basket

 

guess who currently leads all the players this playoffs after 3 games in points produced on drives

 

Fair question. I cant watch Harden on TV and compute this far, my brain is still at the - what happened to his hairline, did Covid do that? - phase.

 

Why should he drive ?

he will get hammered and the refs will let it go . Better to miss a 3 and already be back on D than take it to the rack , get bodied , and the other team starts running down the court

 

lol 10000 pts per game on drives and u still not satisfied?

 

Dort? Never heard the scrub before.