My son asked me why I was still watching this game after it was out of reach for the Clips. "Hardenfreude," I told him.
Hardens bustiness and scrubbiness caused them to miss all those shots. A real leader would have set up his teammates better AND carried the load when they stumbled.
Obviously the sheer +/- amount was excessive in this one, but this isn't a one game thing. In his last 14 playoffs games (2023 and 2024), his teams have been better in the minutes he's off the floor in 8 of them, occasionally at extreme rates similar to this game. They've been about even in 3, and been better when he's on the floor in 3. The problem is the same that it's always been with Harden and why all of his all-star teammates routinely end up in disagreements and end up parting ways: Harden is great at improving Harden; but him being "the system" is generally not good for getting the best out of the other players. It's why he keeps moving from team to team and having the exact same results and why his teammates always "fail him". It's also why he does so well when he's the sole all-star (but it also puts a ceiling on his teams).
Doncic, Young, Harden, Draymond and LeBron are in a special class of whiners that make the NBA barely watchable sometimes. At least sometimes Harden just goes into aloof sulking mode. Doncic is insufferable.
Yeah I never realized Doncic whines about every single thing he feels is a foul. And he actually gets the refs' attention, if only Harden had the pull that guy has like he did last night. Not even Lebron gets that much respect from refs.
Lue should’ve pulled a milk hair and benched Harden the entire 4th. They may have had a chance being as they were down by only 11. Who can forget when we outscored the Clippers 40-15 in the 4th with “the system” on the bench in 2015. Bum ass loser was -21 in that game and he was a -21 tonight. Add another 5+ turnover playoff game for Harden. Ain’t nothing changed except his lines (waist and hair). Delusional Harden fanbois bout to add Kawhi and PG to the list of stars to blame. It’s never Harden’s fault. Ever. Dwight CP3 WB KD Kyrie Embiid Maxey Kawhi PG BUM. ASS. LOSER.
Trojan Horse Leonard!! Why’d he even come back? He was so ass he basically brought down the whole offense trying to incorporate him back in. Mavs even heavier favorites now
It's really incredible how little he plays. The Clippers shouldn't have extended him this year. Where else was he going to go? It's pretty clear he just wants to chill in southern California and any winning is incidental that goal.
Everybody besides the Clippers FO knew it was a bad idea, but they did it anyway. That much easier for the Rockets to pass them in the standings in the years to come.
Kawhi is out for the series, so James Harden is going to "choke" again as the underdog while his injury prone star teammate is in street clothes.
