Harden scores 39 points or more. They are 4 - 6 when he scores less than 39. I see a lot of people suggesting the Rockets would be better if Harden scored 25 - 35 a night and shared the ball more. Based on the actual results this year, they would be a 32 win lottery team if Harden never scored more than 38 for a whole season. Harden scoring 39+ correlates highly with the Rockets winning. Harden scoring less than 39 correlates highly with losing. Not sure how anyone can argue that it is in the Rockets best interest for Harden to score less given these facts.
He can score under 35 but that just means he needs 18 to 22 assists. He is an offensive machine he needs to produce buckets. If the defense covers th shooters they are getting between 40 and 60 points if they double he gets 36 and 15. Honestly I hope they start doubling because that will put the team in a good rhythm it will keep guys active making normal basketball plays. Its ironic the league was ok with James Iso-ing now all of sudden their terrified. This defense we see is the generational equivalent of the Jordan rules. THE HARDEN RULES or HARDEN RULES ERA!!!
So basically if Hartenstein plays meaningful minutes and Harden scored 39+ we're never losing. Got it.
his potentia assists are as high as Rubio's. It's not fault is team mates need to knock their shots. And who the f*ck avraged 18 assists previously? the stuff people demand harden here LOL
I know its crazy but I am not demanding it. The way teams are playing us this guy is unique. To break teams James can get 18 assists and 37 easily. No one else can do it but this guy is so good. MJ would crush the idea that any defense could be successful before the game started. I truly believe that's what James has to do and I believe he is trending that way. When the playoffs start that puts our team in the advantage and other teams playing catch-up. The West is scary do you hink anything other than that is going to beat the Lakers Clippers or Denver
It's all about efficient scoring. If any of the players that have a TS% of 60 or more score a lot, we will win. Hartenstein, Chandler, Tucker, House, Clemons, and Clint.
You could run all the illegal defense you wanted back then- if you were the Sonics playing the Rockets.
I am not afraid of the Lakers, Clippers or Nuggets. The Prime Harden Rockets are better than all three.
Oh yes check out the Bad Boy Pistons or Knicks against MJ. The only advantage was in MJ's time is they couldn't play zone that's why James is incredible is he isnt just getting Double teams and triple teams he is getting matchup zones and he is beating them consistently
9-0 being dominate because of Harden scoring is misleading. I will explain why. However to do so, we will have to divide the NBA in Tiers: Tier 4-The Dregs (basically lottery bound), Teams like Suns and Hawks Tier 3 - Competitive Dregs (border line lottery bound, but has either good players or good coaches, but not both) Teams like The Kings or The Bulls Tier 2 - (can play with anyone, but missing *something* that will get them to Tier 1) The Jazz, The Nuggets Tier 1 - The Elites (will soundly beat any other Tier in a seven game series, but a toss up when paired with another Tier 1. This is the Tier where Champions are crowned) You can argue which team belongs where, but after 20 games you know who is who. 9-0 versus T4 and T5 means absolutely nothing. Rockets will beat anyone in Tier 3 and 4. And they should. This is why they will always finish top of the NBA and seeded well in the playoffs for a run at the Conference Finals where they match up against a Tier 1. This is where your 9-0 argument sits. Means nothing. Rockets should beat these teams whether Harden goes off or not. Even if he doesn't play, they should beat these teams more times than not so winning 60 games is not impossible. Harden has to go off because of a flawed scheme. I say flawed scheme because if Rockets are not hitting threes, there is nothing else. They sit back and lose. Reason, no adjustments, no offense to create lanes for easier shots, no utilizing bench to find a good combination to match up against. No changing the tempo. No matching up defensively and going for easier shots. They shoot threes whether they are making them or not. Fun to watch like baseball players hitting homers all day, but look at what happens when you have a team of pitchers and good defense. Hopefully Rockets can get Westbrook under control. He's the key, not Harden. If he's driven throughout the entire game, while Harden is on the bench or getting doubled, this will improve their chances because Brody can get to the rim at will and will make more than he miss. Thus, maximizing positions. 1 or 2 points in a possession when your up by 10 is better than nothing at all. Brody can create wide open shots for other players as teams (good or bad) collapse in the paint to stop him. Tucker, McLemore, Gordan and even Clemons left alone is lethal. Hell, Even Tyson Chandler combined with Russ will scope up his misses and get easy lobs. Problem is...MDA won't utilize this. He'd rather Tucker and four other players sit out on the arch. If Rockets want a Championship, they have to beat Tier 1's consistently or at least lose competitively. They are 1-3 in these games. With the Rockets depending on Harden to Score 35+ every night is a recipe for losing against better teams This has been proven the last 3 years and I don't see it changing this year without a roster change or getting RW not to jack up bad shots.
You missed the point. Teammates have to hit open shots at a high rate for those assist numbers. Harden will make the pass out of the double but we gotta make them pay.
I don't know who your other team is that's a Tier 1, but if you believe the Clippers and Bucks are Tier 1, then the Rockets are 1 - 2 and should have beaten the Clippers in the 2nd game. Here are the "Tier 1" games based on your assumptions: 10/24 Bucks 117 - 111 Loss - Harden 19 11/13 Clippers 102-93 Win - Harden 47 11/22 Clippers 122-119 Loss - Harden 37 The Rockets were competitive in all three games, led late in the two losses and certainly would have had a better chance to win if Harden had scored more points. Pretty clear to me. When Harden scores 39+ we win these games too (albeit small sample size) and when he doesn't we lose them. Also, the whole "the Rockets can't win this way" narrative is weak in my opinion because they were clearly a Tier 1 team in each of the past two seasons along with the Warriors playing exactly this style of basketball. They nearly beat the W's and did beat everyone else. Hard to be critical of that...