it was so predictable that these people would come out of hiding during this game...couldn't wait for Harden to have a bad night
some of them are just haters who get some weird enjoyment out of our best player playing poorly...they must stay ****ing miserable because unfortunately for them Harden is great the vast majority of the time
All good man, these are just real fans. If he didn't love the damn Rockets, they wouldn't take it so personally.
He was very clearly limited and looking to avoid contact. Wish we had more time between games, but hopefully he can get some good treatment before Friday night.
It was the Spurs that were looking to avoid contact. They did a terrific job defending him tight but staying out of the kitchen and even moving away when Harden sought contact. He was terrible at the rim because there was a giraffe (Pau) just hanging out down there when he drove. Pau was very effective defensively patrolling the paint and the Spurs smalls played tight on Harden outside as soon as he had the ball within 8 feet of the three point line. They contested his dribble way outside without fouling him very much. And that chewed down the shot clock on Harden. The small guys really gave Harden trouble on both ends of the court. They forced him to have to work on both ends. Nothing was easy.
Spurs and Warriors are easily the two best teams with consistent discipline to always play defense with their feet and with their hand up or horizontal. That isthe type of defense that murders Harden. He needs his defender to byte on his great footwork and ball handling. He doesn't have the outright acceleration like a Westbrook or Kawhi(vs other small forwards)to jsut flat out go buy his man most of the time especially late into the season like this.
It's one thing if James doesn't play well but it often becomes contagious. Or maybe Ariza and Beverly have a habit of blowing their wad in one game and not having even a dribble left for the next. Boys better be ready for the home game in Houston.
Griefers..... They only derive enjoyment by trying to troll real fans and be annoying They are not fans They are Anti-fans...... They don't like any team or person but will use other teams or persons To needle true fans.......they purpose is not to discuss, celebrate or enjoy the game It is to bully, piss off and f*ck with fans and snicker in their mom basement about how mad that guy got... Rocket River
It worked in game 2. But they wont' be able to stop Harden all series long with those tactics. Harden's battle tested and too great a player, banged up or not. He will still prevail. The defensive intensity the Spurs employed last night were no better and tougher than what Harden faced throughout the OKC series. It was just the Spurs night....that's all there is to it.
It's funny how people freak out about Harden after one bad game. He is a human being.......last I checked. No other player in the league commands the defensive respect that Harden does on a nightly basis. This is because he is an absolute monster and all stops have to be pulled and committed for him. Anyone who thinks Harden will be relegated to "irrelevant" this series because the Spurs have "figured" out how to "stop" him......well...you are entitled to your opinion. By the way, it's very EASY to "stop" Harden if the officials won't call ANY of his drives a foul. That's not an excuse, that's an objective truth. And there was nothing objective about the officiating for the Rockets last night. Ok...wait.....fine....Harden did get one call on that 3-point attempt where Patty Mills did not foul him. So what? I'd rather Harden get his due calls at the rim than that one call out on the perimeter. People don't seem to realize these things matter over the course of the game. Rockets handled the uphill battle all game long and then in the 4th, the hill became a slippery slope.........just wasn't going to be the Rockets' night to win.
He didn't get the same foul calls at the rim. When that happens he tends to look hesitant and out of sync. That's always how it has been with Harden.
Harden will bounce back for sure. The Spurs' discipline on back away from Harden and keeping their hands up to avoid fouls hurts his game more than his ankle right now. Harden will finish around the rim much better next game regardless of foul calls.
Yep, they were extremely careful not to reach at all yesterday. But Harden will be Harden in the upcoming games.
