[Grantland] The Inadequate Villain: James Harden Is Ruining the Playoffs

"Then, Harden should’ve gone to L.A. and put up some doofy stat line like 46 points on 15 field goal attempts and 33 free throw attempts in Game 4."

I lol'd.
If he doesn't go down swinging then idk what to say.

 

This was awesome!!!

 

He's right. The Rockets are hated by a lot of people, but how can you hate on a team that's rolling over out there and quitting? You can certainly mock them and pile on, but can you really hate a team like that?

It's like when Kobe quit in Game 7 of that Suns series in 2006. Everyone was trashing him, but that wasn't as much fun as hating on him back when he was playing with Shaq and Phil.

 

I certainly hate this team right now.

 

That dude Shea Serrano is pretty funny on twitter, but I had to unfollow him because he is an unapologetic Rockets hater.

 

This has to be the most disappointing playoff series in 22 years or maybe ever for Rockets fans.

This is the most hated playoff Rockets team I can remember.

 

I still think Game 7 of the 2005 series against Dallas was the most disappointing rockets playoff game ever...

but the last two games have been a doozy...

 

Part of his schtick is to annoy Rockets fans and he does a good job of it. He's a funny dude. His 'Guide to Trash Talk' is still one of my favorite Grantland articles

 

not as much as i hate grantland. lame juvenile rag.

 

I have said this in many posts. This was a regulator season game against the Pacers last year on National TV. Why James Harden doesn't bring this kind of fire/heroics to the biggest of stages (playoffs) is beyond me. I will never understand it. How can someone be so focused and driven all year and then not bring the same intensity when it really really matters? Baffling. I don't think Harden is mentally soft by any means but he just seems to lose his focus lately. If you want to win it all that can not happen and are team is only as focused as our superstar. Here's to hoping that Harden puts it all together and becomes the leader we need him to be similar to Jordan, Lebron, Kobe who all took a couple years to really develop into leaders that created a winning culture. I am just worried Harden's personality won't allow him to get there.

A part of me wants to see him force the issue non stop and try to get in the lane at all costs. If he ends up fouled out from charges or with 20 shots blocked by DeAndre so be it. At least you go down swinging with everything you have and can give them credit afterwards for stopping you.

I just don't understand the passiveness when he hasn't been passive all year. He is at his best when attacking the second he gets the ball on offense before he gets past half court. Not when there is 17 seconds left on the shot clock waiting to set up a "play" we haven't run all year or slow moving pick and roll. What will be frustrating if he does come out swinging and then it will be "too little too late" as Game 1 was the time to step up intensity/aggressiveness not Game 5 down 3-1.

 

this is exactly right. everyone should have hated this team...now it's just annoying on both sides

 

Harden has lost the MVP, his moms been told to suck Barnes dick, Austin ****ing Rivers has mocked him IN game.....

& he's still passive. He's playing conservative as ****, he's not forcing it because he doesn't want people to blame the series on him if he ****s up. His outlook is hoping we're better next season, he's mailed it in & so has the rest of the team.

It's not happening folks. He's my favorite player & he's top 5, but he's no where near being the best player in the league. Lebron & Durant run laps around him.

Those guys could win 3 games in a row, Harden can't do that, but neither can Curry so don't take it to heart.

 

Everyone (ie, casual basketball fans) should be hating the Clippers.

This Rockets team has imploded in a bad way, but most of the stuff about Harden/Dwight being divas is overblown.

Paul, Griffin, Barnes. How can people not hate that team? Especially when every game break is Optima and State Farm commercials? We just need Barnes to be in Walmart commercials and everything would be great.

 

I like it! I only Harden had that mentality.

 

That was an awesome read

 

Quitters get no respect. No respect. I don't really know if Harden is a quitter. He has appeared to be in a funk almost throughout the playoffs. He at least appears to shrink on the big stage. There are reasons and they are not all in his control, but as a team the Rockets have mailed in it and get no respect for going out without a fight. Redemption is still possible but remote.

 

is morey the reason they hate us? I see nothing in harden that I could hate. He doesn't cheap shot. He doesn't flop.( he flails his arm to draw your hit, but you still make contact)
He is a great scorer, everybody loves a great scorer. I think they hate us because of morey.

 

He quit because he had teammates like Kwame Brown that told him not to pass the ball to him because if they foul him he'd have to shoot free-throws.