Harden is gassed at the end of the game, period. You can see it, he wants to be the hero so bad. Harden is a mental midget at times. The problem IMO is MDA. Our coach should have the nuts to make adjustments and rip Harden's ass, tell him it's okay to take the midrange (Chris Paul did) This is a team sport, we need everyone to contribute in the playoffs. BMac should be putting up 6+ 3's a game. Rivers should be driving to the basket and we need more pick and roll with Green. Harden can't do it by himself, he needs to make smarter BB decisions and take what the defense gives him.
I'm not on the Harden hate train. He does make boneheaded decisions, sure, but he's mostly brilliant. The problem is the organization. They will always ride him into the ground, they will barely coach him (and whomever replaces Dan Tony by signing the Tilman Fertitta Blue Plate Special, that probably goes for him, too).... MDA, man, jeez. COACH. I feel like Butch Cassidy: "You'd think they'd slow down, go faster. Don't they get tired? Don't they get hungry? They don't even break formation. DO SOMETHING!!!!" When you play your main guy so much and rely on him for everything, it's probably hard to stay sharp. We also have a $40,000,000 hole in the lineup, not to mention look-the-other-way referees who are on the "I'M WITH CP3" Tour.
TMAC showed up in the playoffs, he just never, i mean ever had any help. TMAC I would agree with the "gassed" comment any other season, but he had months to rest/recover with the pandemic, if there were any season to be refreshed in the playoffs, its this unique one. We have to stop making excuses for the guy. Just show up and ball out and take over a game when your team needs you, even when your teammates aren't providing much help or the coach is clueless, ball out and show up. Real superstars do this.
Agreed. This site has roach level members that only come out when the Rockets lose. No point in bothering, it's an infestation of the sort of members who can only take joy in negativity, as they know only 1 in 30 teams will win the title, so no matter how historically good someone is, they'll find a way to tear them down simply to feel better about themselves because they can go decades ragging on players no matter how stupid their takes are.
Harden may very well go down as another Durant. Highly advanced scorer maybe had to jump on another allstar level team to win a chip. It may not be in houston untill he becomes the 2nd fiddler on a team. Reminds me alot of how a lot of old stars jump on a teams, Barkley. Rather yet he may never get a chance to win a ring like barkley. You look at all these great players, Duncan, Kobe, Lebron, Curry. Got to have that #1 player on your team and great coaching staff, good all around team, etc... I think Iverson as well is better than Harden, and Harden may wind up like him but never in the Finals. But when its all said and done yea rockets were a solid team, Harden was great, but not great enough. Unless he proves everyone wrong with him and westbrook, that is yet to be seen. They are both in early 30's and have plenty of time to get there, what 3-4 more solid good years, but GSW, Clippers, and Lakers in the way unfortunately.
I don't agree that this is better than Hardens best playoff year, Harden has been more efficient than Tmac in the playoffs. FG% is a flawed way to look at this.
he was amazing in the dallas series. most other times, not so much. he lost a close game 7 at home to utah when any of this "just score in the 4th" stuff being said about harden would have saved us there as well.
yeah i don't know why we kept losing to the durant warriors. they would get by us and then...smash everyone else even worse. shame on harden. and now, being tied to the team with the best record in the west since christmas without his 2nd best player. it's very easy to win when you don't have another all-star. you just say the words "next man up" in an interview and bam, the team stays exactly the same.
T-mac + Yao = first round exit Harden + Dwight = western conference finals. Does anyone here think Dwight is better than Yao in any way???? Next they will talk about how much greater Bob Sura was th an Harden... Gtfoh Rocket River TWack ain't even close to harden.
solid, lol. the 2018-19 rockets were a level better than iverson's sixers finals team. the 2017-18 rockets were 2 levels better, they were unbelievably good. they just happened to exist against a mount rushmore team.
True and I agree i just cant stand cherishing one player by hating the other while both are like top 3 od this team ever
Look. This series right now is very deflating. Things will be ugly as f*** if we lose in the first round. But I’ll have none of this Tmac was better crap. One simple fact about Tmac: EVERY playoff series with him was disappointing (including before his time with the Rockets. Don’t forget he lost to the Hornets when he was the higher seed and dropped a 3-1 lead to the Pistons). Repeat: LOST EVERY SERIES One more reminder: Harden hasn’t only played in three playoff series’. You guys are acting like he played against the Warriors twice and the Spurs once and that’s it for the past three years. Let me refresh your memory. He beat OKC who had the MVP that year 4-1. Beat Minnesota and then Utah 4-1 and 4-1 the following year. Beat Utah 4-1 last year. Has also beaten the Mavs 4-1 in a first round series. Let’s not forget how great it was to send Dallas home with an ass whooping. We see them both as not being able to get over the hump but the bar is set much higher for one. EDIT: can’t believe someone in here is using Tmacs teammates as an excuse during a series where Russ is out and a past his prime EG is your go to number 2 scorer.
u T-Mac stans have no shame...just throwing out false rhetoric and fake facts like everyone is dumb, can’t do research, or didn’t watch the games he increased his level of play 1 year in Houston...funny how all u remember is Okur making Yao his son, but u have no recollection of T-Mac’s bricks and inability to show up in the 4th quarter numerous times... 06-07: 25 ppp on 23 shots...39% from the field, 25% from 3, and 74% from the line against freaking Utah in the 1st round with HCA 07-08: 27 ppg on 24 shots...43% from the field, 21% from 3, and 62% from the line again against juggernaut Utah meanwhile, Harden averages 29, 6, and 6 shooting 41% from the field, 24% from 3, and 89% from the line against GS in a WCF, something T-Mac knows nothing about, and we say he’s choking and playing like sh*t Harden is averaging 32, 8, and 9 against OKC this series...he has a 124 offensive rating...the team had a -53 net rating with him off the floor last game, and that has half of CF calling him disappointing please, it’s not hard to step up from T-Mac’s regular season numbers if Harden played on T-Mac’s level during the regular season, and played the exact same way he’s been playing in the postseason for his Houston career, we’d be saying he went up 2 whole tiers as player every postseason T-Mac stans always present false facts and try to rewrite history
Not sure who you’re referring to when you mention “they”...Harden haters? People who prefer TMac over Harden? Nonetheless, the article posted highlighted the same old story with the rockets and their superstar Harden. Harden hasn’t showed up when his team needed him most. If you can’t see that, you’re in denial. Is he a World class talent/scorer? Yes, but maybe that’s all he is - He’s proven for the last 5 years, he’s not built like a bonafide champion, who seizes those moments with a killer mentality. So yes, per the article, we’ve seen this all before. Harden has proven to me (especially in the last two losses) exactly who he is and who he has been. The only change i see taking place is Westbrook playing (the true alpha dog) and taking some of that pressure off of Harden who can’t handle it by himself.
We really think Westbrook has 3-4 more years playing at this level? The impact and velocity he plays with that seems like a bit of a stretch.
We've seen it all before We've heard it all before What's old is new again. CF cries, calls them big meanies & "biased" & "haters". "James can see all the passes and do everything, but James is not a leader," Kevin McHale said. "He tried being a leader last year, tried doing all that stuff. I think Chris Paul is going to help him just kind of get back into just being able to hoop and play and stuff like that." "But on every team, you have to have a voice. On every team, you have to have somebody that when they say something, people listen. Like if James tells you, 'You've got to play better D,' are you going to listen to him? Like you've gotta be kidding me. I lived through it. Believe me, everybody in the locker room did this," McHale said, putting his head down with his hand on his forehead. "Every time he mentioned defense, everybody would put their head down." "Chris Paul is going to push him, too," McHale said. "When he does that stab in the backcourt, doesn't get a foul, looking at the referee, not running back, Chris Paul is going to jump his butt. That's going to make him a better player. "I just think Chris Paul will be good for James Harden. It will allow him to just be what he is, which is a phenomenal basketball player, not trying to lead a team. That's just not his personality." We know what happened to Chris Paul (and Kevin McHale).
Congratulations to T-Mac on his great breakthrough of winning the first game of the first round of the 2005 playoffs. I am sure, in the annals of NBA history, his remarkable achievement will be duly enshrined.
During my time in watching the NBA (early 80's - present) no "contending" superstar has EVER carried the same load that James Harden has during the playoffs .. Not MJ, Not Kobe, Not SHAQ, Not Tim Duncan, Not Magic, not the Bad Boy Pistons ... NOBODY .. EVER. Before James asks for the trade to PHX or an LA team I really hope Morey goes after some PROFESSIONAL shooters - guys that can be counted on to make open shots for James in high pressure situations. edit: Except Dream with the first Chip (how did I forget about Dream geez)
