If he was hurt he shouldn't have played. Period. They'll be back and better next season though. Dinwiddie will be back. Nets just didn't have it this year. Even if Nets made it past Bucks that was as far as they went as long as Irving and Harden were hurt.
^ This they don't respect the game. They lost for no other reason than this. Great teams aren't created like NBA 2k fantasy draft or the all star team. They are made through trial and error, TEAM WORK and perseverance. Nets have taken the first step.
Yes, we could tell he was injured. We also know how grade 1/2/3 strains present. So based on our observations of his physical movement, we should be able to figure out which grade his strain was or at least eliminate some as possibilities. Seriously...critical thinking. Just a little.
Harden was hurt, injured limited. As you said, no burst, no sprint, he could barely shoot. But if he had a grade 2 he wouldn't have been able to even walk the ball up the court without a limp, let alone play four quarters and OT.
Harden is definitely in his own head in elimination games. No doubt about it. It's like Ben Simmons free throws. The hamstring injury doesn't make you make shitty decisions and dumb turnovers. Also in the past couple of elimination games he can't make 3's to save his life. He shot relatively well in game 6 from 3, you are telling me it's his hamstring that all of sudden make his miss all his jumpers on game 7. Come next year, if I were the coach I would make Harden the 3rd option after Durant and Kyrie on any elimination games.
So you critically thought your way to a medical degree? ROFLMAO!!!!!! And you can diagnose patients and grade hamstring injuries without talking to the patient, a one on one physical exam, any sort of medical imaging or looking at the patient’s chart? WOW.
What do people make of 2-time MVP referring to an opposing player as the best player in the world? A lot of superstars talk about being humble, but you don’t often hear superstars openly acknowledging the superiority of another player like that.
If they had all 3, there wouldn’t have been an elimination game. MAYBE bucks push it to 5, but that’s a stretch
You’re legs are a part of your shot. No legs, you’re not going to be super accurate or efficient. But if you’re injured he shouldn’t have played. He did it to himself. Can’t be a fat ass and play pro sports, you’ll get hurt.
Why not? We know how different strains present, and we had an extended look at his physical capabilities. We saw what he could and couldn't do. If he had a grade 2 hamstring strain, he shouldn't have been able to do the things he was doing. Why is this so difficult for you to understand?
I think the idea would be that it’s hard to play consistently when injured. Hence decent shooting one night and crap shooting another. And I would argue that yes being unable to move the way you usually move can influence you to try some things you wouldn’t normally out of necessity. Some riskier passes because you can’t create the separation you normally could. More settling for tougher jumpers because you don’t have the physical ability to drive the paint for better opportunities. He was out there these last games so Durant didn’t have to do it every single play. An impossible ask for any player to have to do it all. There is no way Durant would have the energy. They had to live with what a broken Harden could do for a certain number of plays per game. Because even his diminished self is going to be a better option than their available alternatives.
That doesn't explain why he can't make 3's against OKC game 7, Warriors game 7, Spurs game 5,6. Clippers game 6,7. Etc.
I think there's many ways of looking at it. - It may give Giannis some chip on his shoulder that wasn't there previously. From his POV: I view KD as the best - therefore, I am not. Therefore, I constantly need to improve to get to his level, which adds on an extra motivator. - Could be reverse psychology (I doubt this, though). By admitting KD is the best and having that soundbite in the media, this may cause KD to try to do too much or get into his own head, which might cause him to make mistakes. Could get into Nash's head, in that "oh, KD really is that good. I should play him all 48 or 53 or whatever." - Could simply be how Giannis was raised or how Greek basketball culture is/was. Maybe there's a stigma in western culture of how you shouldn't be so open about your feelings of how good/bad another player is, whereas in Greece, it's the norm.
its unbelievable, so many duds, and you would think at least law of averages would kick in once in a blue moon
I think he is just saying what was obvious to anybody watching this series. If Durant plays like this, he is the best player in the world. He was on another level from any other player on the court, and everyone out there knew it and acknowledged it. Kind of like when Larry Bird said it was “God disguised as Michael Jordan”.
LOL! Dude stop. You might want to wash that medical degree you just pulled out of your ass, because it stinks! At the end of the day, Harden showed up over 30, fat, out of shape and looking to politic his way out of Houston. He ended the season over 30, fat, out of shape, in Brooklyn and injured. You can’t cheat the game, Harden tried and is at home. He better get it together because it gets harder as you older. This off-season is big for Nets ( & the Rockets picks) If he shows up a fat boy next year they may implode.
There is some truth to this, and I think Harden knows it too. He made a comment in his post-game presser about “taking care of our bodies.” Maybe he can take a page out of CP3’s playbook and come back next year in great shape. We’ll see.