Sam thank you for taking the time to write this. I learned some things reading your post. Very insightful and well supported by facts with plausible extrapolation scenarios.
Are you even being serious? Never heard of the Dream? Guy who bamboozled MVP Robinson. This forum is named after that team.
Not sure I understand the refs comment. But yes, it is important to have good teammates to get to the finals. Maybe the issue here is the definition of greatness. To me, to be great, one has to be "clutch." That happens in the playoffs. And it hasn't happened for Harden in the playoffs. More of the opposite has been true. Also, by this definition, the number of "great" players will be limited. That's as it should be. I get the geeking out. It was a nice win, and Harden is playing at a high level. But this is January. Not May or June. Let's keep things in perspective, is all I'm saying.
I am thinking Harden has that clutch gene in the Playoffs. (See OKC vs Spurs WCF 2012) There is always the chance he gas out again with those heavy minutes he has been playing so far.
Name 5 shooting guards in NBA history that was/is better than Harden. You got MJ, Kobe, West, and maybe Wade. That's it. That should tell you he's an all timer.
If he keeps it up for the next 3 games and we win at least 2 of them, it would be in contention for the greatest 15-game stretch for an individual in history. We just played the Warriors, next play the Blazers (half a game behind us), then the current #1 seed in the West, and finally the current #1 seed in the East. What I'm really dreading is how people here will react when he cools off a bit. This team didn't get better. We still need to trade future assets for a productive player and to watch the minutes for these old geezers.
Not sure what 15% is referring to, but I have wonder about the analysis of someone on a Rockets fan page who can't seem to remember Hakeem.
Just relaying the info for “harden hasn’t proved himself in the playoffs crowd” Recent ringer NBA podcast Kevin O’Connor said something like ....”believe me I know he has had some individual bad games but when you look at the overall big picture it’s a myth that he hasn’t performed. Yes his efficiency has gone down, but almost everyone’s efficiency goes down in the playoffs. And he took this dynasty to 7 last year!” Brought up this stat on the fact that only 9 players(min 10 games) for a single playoff run have averaged 35/5/5 with a .500 Ts% per 100 possessions. Lebron and MJ 9 times. Kobe 7. KD and Steph 3. Hakeem, Wade, Westbrook and Harden 2. Harden’s 2 were the last 2 years.
For entertainment purposes, just watch the perimeter defense here played by the Lakers and the Bad Boy pistons in 1988. This is bbq chicken stuff for Harden (and a lot of modern players) Knicks Pacers 95 Again , notice when they face guys up theres not a ton of hand ****. Theres a ton of space because nobody expects anybody to rise up and shoot a closely guarded 3 off the dribble, and the lane has to be protected in the illegal d era. That was a bad shot until Harden and the current generation of stars somehow made it a good one (from 27 feet). The hand checking tends to be a factor when guys voluntarily turn laterally and attempt classic 80's style back it in. (This is the same style a young unathletic me and my dad played in driveway 1 on 1 at the time).
The idea that you're just going to transport a player who shoots 8-10 3 pointers a game and from really way out distance into another era is ridiculous. No coach would allow Harden to play that way and even if he pulls that and drains a few clown ass 3s from way out, he's going to get fouled hard for cheesing like that and not even mentioning the constant foul baiting. Harden would get his ass rocked really quick. We've all seen how Harden gets easily flustered when a defender is allowed to get physical with him on the perimeter. It's always the same posters continually trashing anything before 2004 like basketball just started and humans evolved from turtles to cheetahs and tigers. The same exact ones who have an agenda to push to elevate their so called goat and knock down anyone in his way. Same clowns that say Larry Bird would be Steve Novak today. Same clowns that say almost every high school kid dances and sings better than Michael Jackson b/c dancing and singing and rap has evolved. "The key to this series is CAN LeBron James stop Jason Terry?"- Magic Johnson on the 2011 NBA Finals Michael Jordan and anyone before him played against a bunch of slow white guys who were plumbers, Larry Bird would be Steve Novak today. LeBron outscored on the biggest stage by an old Jason Terry who couldn't outscore a 40 year old MJ in his prime. "Justin Timberlake is the GOAT"- LeBron James
So, you admit there is perimeter physicality and hand-checking in today's game? I mean, I've already shown videos of Harden destroying hand-checking this year, and can show you more, and can show you how he bounces huge guys off of him...and here you finally admit that players hand-check Harden...and yet, you still act like no one is allowed to touch him. Players can get very physical with Harden (but it doesn't work anymore) And he has to face improved defenses with the eradication of illegal defense and because today's NBA has devalued the White man can't jump designated Matt Bullard pure shooters for developing 3&D length for switching, multi-positional defense...that didn't exist before. This ere has a much larger pool of defenders on each team than any other era, because the league figured out that if they can teach them to shoot a spot-up three, these defenders can stay on the court much longer.
