He was still injured for crying out load. Dude couldn't move and everybody knew that including the coach. Coach should have pulled him period. Didn't this man play his dam heart out in the playoffs while he was injured. But all y'all can focus on is one regular season game. I see jokers around here never played with an injury or try to play while injured.
I think the reason harden will end up being the best out of them is because his game will age gracefully. He barely uses any athleticism now. His effectiveness is predicated on his creative dribble, smooth footwork, killer jumpshot and sturdy frame to hold off defenders when he drives. Those things don't dissapear with age.
Harden is just 24, and I can't say he's the best now.. but by the time he's 27 and at the rate he's going... he will be the best easily, and another one of our future HOF
The Rockets have never had a Guard as good as Harden, and I've seen them all. McGrady was never this good as a Rocket. Murphy was probably a better pure shooter, but Harden is a better overall player. Clyde was past his prime by the time he got to Houston.
Not true. During T-Mac's time here, we had the 22-game winning streak, he hit that game winner against Dallas in Game 2 in 2005, and the Rockets made the playoffs every year except for 2006 when they were plagued with injuries. Obviously his time as a Rocket is somewhat tarnished due to the first round exits and the way he left the organization, but he accomplished a lot more than just that 13-in-33 game.
I used to compare Tmac to A-Rod...their career paths are eerily similar post 2000...but then Arod led the Yankees to a title
I'll give Harden a couple more years to prove himself. But talent wise, yes, best 2-guard Rox have ever had. Tmac in his prime was a small forward.
He needs to at least have a celebriduck before he can overtake this guy Spoiler <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OfOD2hpzuqQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
T-Mac was definitely the most talented and gifted two guard our franchise has had, but to be the best, you have to have something to show for it and T-Mac has nothing to show outside a few ultimately meaningless achievements. Drexler was on the decline when he came to us, but he accomplished a lot. He played great D, scored well with Hakeem, and when Hakeem went down, literally carried our team for that duration. I would put Drexler as the best, simply because of what he was able to do for our team, including helping us win our 2nd ring. Harden is so young and not even in his prime and is already this good. It seems he's serious about playing D as well now. The next few years will be super exciting seeing how our very own superstar continues to evolve, but his offense right now is just inspiring.
This is the only concern I have about Harden. In the past ~30 years the only SG's who had a leading role on a championship team that were around harden's height are MJ, Kobe, and D-Wade. MJ/Kobe are taller and have a much better midrange game. While taking nothing away from D-Wade, there was definitely referee corruption going on around that time. The amount of FT's he received was pretty unprecedented. Pretty sure that'll never happen again. Even in last year's playoffs we saw Harden not getting the same calls in the playoffs. That was actually one of the most frustrating things about Harden last year. When he would drive into the lane get some contact and just throw up his hands, losing the ball in the process. Then he'd just kind of give up on the play and stare at the ref for a second while being late running back on defense leading to easy transition opportunities for the opposing team. To Harden's credit though he has matured a lot into the ice cold killer we see now. He doesn't do that anymore. You can also tell how much he works on his game with the development of his almost automatic step back and hesitation fake shots. So when his drives aren't working he has something else to go to. That wasn't possible last year. But it is now. But still he doesn't have the height/pure athleticism that Kobe/MJ/TMac had to do whatever he wants and rise up over anyone and knock a shot down. Luckily he has the talent/skill as well as the craftiness to still get his shot off now. I just worry about the long, wiry, and physical defenders who have historically given Harden fits. I believe in his ability though. He's turning into an unstoppable force before our eyes.
Tmac was very clutch with us. Ofcourse being our only closer, he had some misses too. He had some great momments, not just the Spurs game. That series against the Mavs he hit a big 3. I also remember a game against the Knicks where he went crazy hitting contest 3's off the dribble. That guy was incredible when healthy
Clyde's prime was with Portland . Hardens prime will be with the rockets. Sure as far accomplishments, not yet. Don't forget Clyde joined a team that was the defending champion and current MVP.
Until I see Harden give a much more concerted effort on defense, I can't take him over TMac or Drexler
I can't tell if your purposely being obtuse, or just don't know any better? You realize TMac's inability to make it out of the first round is his biggest flaw, right? And that part of the reason he never made it out of the first round was precisely because he refused to consistently take it to the rack to score or get fouled, instead relying on and missing long jumpers? Maybe you don't know that Harden averaged 11 free throw attempts per game in the playoffs last year, and plenty of players have historically lived at the line in the playoffs, where a slowed down half court game can also benefit those that take it to the rack with authority? I don't know why people keep saying Harden has to lead the team to a playoff series victory first. What Rockets guard has ever done that? Certainly not TMac. Drexler maybe co-led. The knock on Harden is his number of games as a Rocket, only at 140. Thought Drexler was only 219 so Harden will pass that next year. At the end of the day, the competition will likely be between Harden and Calvin Murphy, which Harden will win. Murphy is nowhere near as good as Harden at their peaks, but he had 1,000+ games as a Rocket with consistently high quality play that made him a HOF inductee. And he had a couple of playoff runs. The only thing holding Harden back is tenure, and that will come with time.
T-Mac started declining after his first season here. Not only that but he got fatter each season. Dude was skinny as hell when he first got here, and then he packed on the pounds. Harden has only gotten better for the two seasons he has been here. He has lead us to many comeback victories. Harden is clutch. The only thing T-Mac has a nod on Harden is his mid-range game, his defense (when trying), and his athleticism.
