It's a shame that people cant have a real discussion about game 6 - even nearly a year later... No real explanation was ever given... If james came out and said he was pissed off... he was tired and fatigued... pissed at MDA for having to cover bigs in the paint vs SA while bigger guys sat on the bench... pissed at Morey for not giving MDA a better option for a big... pissed at Ariza for calling him out after game 5 (supposedly)... pissed about bustin his a** all season long - just to get robbed of his MVP.... and just was so drained that he just wanted the series over... I could accept that... I wouldnt be happy about it - but I could understand... but no... we're still playing the 'he was concussed...' he just ran out of gas... he just had an off game... anxiety issues... ...and if you dont blindly accept one of the possibilities as the gospel... then you're not a Rockets fan, have a low bball iq, or whatever insults homers wanna hurl... but hey, win us a championship and all will be good - regardless if an explanation is ever given...
Um, is there a reason why you ignored giving me a explanation for this?...Most these "fatigue" lapses were simple basketball plays I'm sure YOU'RE smart enough to make (or maybe not).. He quit, simple as that. Hopefully this NEVER happens again. GO ROCKETS!!!!
In my view, Harden was mentally burnt out, which did lead to him mentally quitting. I think this was driven principally by the fact that whether by design (I think so) or happenstance, Harden ended up guarding bigs and PFs and even centers A LOT LOT LOT LOT LOT during that series. I think it was by design, especially once Nene went down, because that's actually the thing Harden is decent at defensively. But decent or not, of course Harden doesn't want to be and shouldn't be defending bigs that much. I think it wore on him physically, which wore on him mentally, then when he underperformed in game 5 4Q and OT, he gave up mentally for game 6. I know I've been in this thread a lot. Really really really really really really really really really really really really really hope to be proven wrong this playoff season.
Do us all a favor; find a good doctor or psychologist and ask him/her how burn out affects mental decisions and physical performance. Then come back here and tell me how right I am. I will wait. Another reason no one thinks you are a Rockets fan; REAL Rockets fans are relishing this amazing season while you are stuck trying to b**** and prove something about last year. That's OK though, we all know haters are miserable dumb ****s.
There is no real explanation for that horrible display of effort. But his fans have apparently conjured up a few terrible excuses. Not only that, if you use the word "quit" when describing Harden & game 6, you're not a Rockets fan (according to them). Gotta love these guys
Look man, nobody knows what actually happened... Iirc, CP3 was given an explanation prior to joining the team - and he was satisfied... A few months ago, DM said something to the extent of 'I never asked James what happened..' - which surprised me - unless he already knew... ... so basically, everyone (including you, me, hakeemthagreat, etc..) is just talking out their a** - void of any real knowledge of the situation... everybody is entitled to their opinion - until an actual explanation is given...
Just to be clear / fair, one person is saying he quit, and the other person (you) is saying he was mentally burned out. Is there really a difference in this context? I think he quit. Scratch that... I know he quit. Anyone who watched the game knows he quit. You're just trying to change the word quit to the phrase mentally burned out. Which is fine... who cares what you call it, lol. The idea is we'd like our superstar to not mentally burn out (eg. QUIT) in the playoffs. That's very bad, as a Rockets fan. If it takes roster changes to prevent that from happening, with the addition of CP3, Tucker, LMBAM, etc. then great, we have that now. Again, to be fair, it looks like you replied to an early Feb. post to start this up again with him. I mean at least you were replying to an old conversation you were having with him, but it really contradicts what you're saying above. Stop popping conversations from the thread back up. Not complicated. Or do, but then don't turn around and and say something stupid like "why you keep talking about this"... lol.
Some folks just have to believe their heroes are without fault... and in reality, we're all human and make mistakes... Hopefully when mistakes are made - we learn from them and become better in the future...
FWIW Jackie McMullen has covered the Rockets and Harden specifically, quite a bit. She still speaks to him regularly. She said that the Rockets coaches could tell in game 1 or 2 that Harden was worn out physically and mentally. She pointed out that he had some big games after game 2, and they told her that the all could see it coming. He wasn't the same player. McMullen said that she believed that it was mostly physical exhaustion but that she also believes that Harden after game 5 was extremely frustrated that he had no help and didn't handle it well. She has said that she doesn't believe he quit but that he was just fried. She also has pointed out that a lot of elite players have had similar issues, pointing to the Tragic Johnson game, some LeBron and Kobe playoff games as well. At the end of the day it is fair for people to wonder whether the Rockets will come through with Paul and Harden having had some playoff struggles. However people should also remember that Harden has also had some very good playoff performances.
Game 5 - Choke Game 6 - Quit for whatever reason c*m at me. it is what it is however, he has responded magnificently and once he gets the MVP and leads us to the ring come June, all this will be forgotten
Lmao @ people still trying to justify wanting to trade the second best player in this franchises history because of one bad game.
Wow, a reasonable and sourced argument to why the rockets flaked that game. Expect to be flamed. I heard Harden was crying in the showers after game 6 and Chris Paul came in hugged him and said "I'm coming here next year". Oh wait, maybe that was Kobe and Ron Artest...
Well said. I don't hate Harden. I've actually been pro Harden all season. But that has nothing to do with what I saw as him quitting last year. I'm still rooting for the Rockets and REALLY hope he redeems himself this year
Let's be positive and hope for the best! Harden lost heart after Game 5. He is hungrier than ever, and a improved player. I expect a drop from his fabulous current level, but I do expect a high level of play from him in the playoffs. I don't think that he will quit. Chris is there, and so is the peaking EG. EG needs a lot of minutes, along with Harden/ Chris. Capela has to be ready to play every night too.
There is actually a very clear difference. Quitting means he intentionally, voluntarily decided he was done. Burnt out means his brain, body, or both reached a point of exhaustion where it basically shuts down. If he was like "Man, I am tired... I give up." That's quitting. If you get burnt out and go full stupid mode as a result, that's not quitting. Me replying initially to an old post of his, that was my fault. I saw this dumb thread pop up again and thought it was a fairly recent post. Either way, the fact that he still clings to Game 5 and props it up like it means anything in a new season, means he still can't let it go. Take a look at his post history; the guy mainlines Harden hate.
And what definitive insight can you offer to distinguish it being one instance and not the other? If you are willing to tell someone else that they are stupid and wrong for thinking one scenario and not the other... based on what? Wishful thinking? Seems to be a pretty fine line there... who knows what actually transpires in someone else's mind...
I'm glad that you have brought up all these important points, but it was shocking for all of us to see Harden playing so poorly in Game 6. Losing Nene before Game 5, was a big concern. Harden helped us get close, but then he committed the turnovers, due to the pressure of taking us across the line in my opinion. I can understand why he was passing the ball when he was tired, but you do expect your best player to raise his game at some point. Go down fighting. It's not all on Harden though. James is better now, the rest of the team failed against Toronto, but he led the attack with 40 points, and we came close to winning. Basketball is a team sport, the rest of the guys let him down too against the Spurs last season, even though they were dependent on him. Let's hope for the best from the entire team in the playoffs. Go Houston Rockets!
