Harden's 3 Pointers in the Playoffs Needs to be Cut down

If you want shots besides Harden step back 3's down the stretch that's mostly what happened today. He missed a deep step back with 7 minutes or so left. After that he started going downhill immediately off ball screens, forced the defense to collapse and guys just missed open looks.

Besides whatever Russ can bring, if we can't win down the stretch with Harden step backs or guys hitting open 3's, there isn't an easy change other than completely changing the system and probably overhauling the roster. Harden can't just start getting good looks from mid range with what he's seeing defensively. Also on that note, if we're getting nostalgic about 2015 it's impossible to not keep in mind that we gave the Warriors a much better fight doing this Morey/D'antoni ball than we did then and the Warriors also didn't have KD then.

 

Yeah good point. Instead, it was OKC imposing its will down the stretch. Unacceptable

 

Chris Paul did that today. As we knocked down 8 threes in a row to start the 3rd, Paul just calmly knocked in elbow jumpers to get OKC's scoreboard ticking over again.

At the time I thought 3>2 so we will win that battle but then we went cold and CP proved 2>0

 

You see when you said 35% of 10+ attempts is below average, that's where you lost me and I'm sure a ton of people.

There's something fundamentally wrong with your analysis. 35% is a target in the Rockets system. It's not a mistake, we always intentionally hover around that. We adjust attempts upwards and downwards to achieve 35%.

So for your to be disappointed with 35% is truly a fundamental misunderstanding of what we do.

Maybe you now disagree with something you didn't quite grasp a moment ago, but that's irrelevant, that's what the Rockets will do the rest of this playoffs no matter how things go. You can accept it.

 

You got the title wrong...it should be “Gordon’s Three Pointers”.

Including tonight he’s shooting 20% this series averaging NINE of them a game. He’s averaging nearly 20 shots a game - on the 2 PT attempts he’s shooting nearly 50% a game. When you factor in the free throws he’s gotten from driving to the basket his two point shots have been nearly twice as efficient as his threes...

Amazing how an “analytical savvy” organization with a MIT grad as your GM but can’t figure out you should probably bench the guy if he shoots one more contested three or one from 35 feet out like he’s Lillard. Oh and also amazing how your best 3 PT shooter percentage wise plays 8 minutes and Rivers, who’s also been significantly better than Gordon shooting the three ball and actually moves the ball around, also has been sitting on the bench. Gordon is starting to look like Carmelo Anthony to me.

 

remember that three he hit off a travel call......was it a travel ?

 

He just needs to be smarter and a leader... not a dufus.

 

Good thread and yes it's a problem, yes it started when MDA came, yes this is who Harden is and yes he will probably not change. However, it's about the TYPE of 3pt shots he takes. Look at his first 10 or so, probably 1 heat check and a shot way back. Now with Dort on Harden in the 3rd / 4th, can't remember, he hoisted three DEEP threes and all were short. That is all on Harden, 100%, purely, unequivocally and stupidly on Harden. You don't take those when you know yourself to be tired, your legs aren't there, especially when a great defender is in front of you who has 5 FOULS!!

I hate the way we play, seeing Harden passing up open mid-range shots and posting up knowing it won't result in a stepback 2 is just frustrating and asinine. Why even bother to post up then. Opponents should be laughing their asses off. I've also wondered, where did that beautiful floater go? I know with Adams there it's tough, but he hasn't really brought it up while he was money with it all season long. I'm afraid I can never like Harden, because he just will never learn, even though this was the year he seemed to finally look like that 2015 fearless guy again who might finally not buckle under the pressure.

We have to accept the truth that Harden under pressure starts hoisting threes as he cannot take it. Some guys just can't. That's why he needs Westbrook who will attack and not back down.

 

That had a lot to do with Harden having a genuine sidekick in CP3 in 2018. The 2015 Rockets with CP3 with 2015 Harden would win a ring imo

 

I don’t like the long bomb 2 feet behind the line threes. That’s just a bad shot. Even when Lillard takes it.

 

YEP...its a sign of a scrub trying to score homerun play when you need a discipline, smarts and hard work to win...
i dont think harden is not smart i think he just doesn't care and he wants to win but only on his terms, kinda reminds me of me

 

James Harden isn’t a good 3 point shooter change my mind

 

He definitely isn't a good 3 pt shooter in the playoffs.

 

Great point. I also wanted to see more harden post ups and that has happened a bit although he has been more of a facilitator from the post. More variance and the more harden sees the ball go in from close the better when he does launch those 13 threes
Per game

 

i definitely think james needs to stop shooting these 33% 3's and focus more on 40% mid-range shots. and really 40% is understating it. everyone knows when you mix a shot in but don't rely on it a lot, your percentage goes way up. i'm thinking 55% easy. it's just math. also, when you drive to the basket a lot like harden, defenders will still get right up on you on 3's, making them difficult. but if that drive leads to a stop and pop 2, oh boy do those defenders start backing off of you at the 3 point line, making it much easier to shoot. getting beat for a layup is nothing, getting beat for a jumper, no one wants that.

come to think of it, when the rockets made 8 straight 3's, why did they keep taking them in the 3rd as okc was coming back instead of shifting to another shot? it's like they thought "we can't predict which 3's will go in, i mean how did we just make 8 straight, the whole point is to keep shooting them and hey we're still shooting 40% on 3's today" but i mean it seems kind of obvious that 8 is enough. a good number to stop on. again, it's just math. you shoot the 3's until it seems like luck or whatever is probably over and then you go to something else; also the defense will be happy to let you take other really good shots. if we can just focus on figuring out which shots we're about to miss, retool our seasons long offense in the middle of the game, and then do something different, but then go back to 3's when it seems like the brickstorm has cleared, i think we've got a chance.

 

Cry to Morey and MDA - not to James.

This is the brand of basketball that is coached and emphasized on this team. Its been ingrained into James too. You guys want him to do more post ups, and more quick pops, or those "step daddys" he hit in his Harden Game winners youtube yet this player and team have evolved into something different. 3's, layups, FT's .. whats so hard to understand about that? we're missing our 2nd best player, and a team that IMO is fundamentally flawed in capable shooters surrounding James and both these losses have been flukey OKC luck jobs. James cant do it all SOMEONE on this team is going to have to step up late in games and stop star watching.

its funny too cuz everything seems to be James' fault LOL .. cue the McGrady video!!

What would this team look like without James??

Could it possibly be??? Are CP3OF's worse than the LOF's ???

 

No, it is a pillar of your argument, without it there is no argument.

 

Unfortunately percentages and stats don't account for contextual game time decision making and human behavior. Our habbit of spamming threes fails us in late game situations where defenses can easily hedge their bets with guarding the Rockets, especially Harden as they become extremely predictable. Also the spamming of threes made the step back three into a pacifier for Harden when he is struggling which snowballs the damaging effect in late game situations.

Spamming threes can get us leads but it's a horrible game plan for late game situations where you need any bucket you can get.

Hence why guys like Kobe, Durant and MJ are flat out better in close game situations in the 4th. They are just flat out better bucket makers regardless of where they are in the half court which is valuable in close games. Not only are they better at bucket making, they are far better at being available for their team in late game situations where it's difficult to deny those guys the ball because they'll run, juke etc to get open to their spots.

Another thing I notice about Harden playoff performances is that he usually shoots very well in terms of efficiency the first game or two of a playoff series and then he plummets in the later part of the series. This tells me that defenses easily adjust to the predictable nature of the Rockets' offense.