Yes, Harden wasn't a factor in the Finals. He played poorly for sure but I would like to also think that Harden was a major part of how the Thunder made it to the Finals. He played great for them against the Mavs, Lakers & Spurs. Of course Harden is no Kobe, Wade or Rose, but he has the skills to be a player of that caliber. He's 23 years old, has played on a contender, on the Olympic team and now has the opportunity to lead a team of his own. Will there be growing pains, yes there will be but it doesn't rule out that the Rockets are better now with him. Hakeem made the '86 Finals but it took awhile for Dream to get back and win. Getting Harden is a step in the right direction for the Rockets in my opinion and the team will be fun to watch. We can make the playoffs, we have a shot.
They shut him down - not because he had a bad night, because Miami understood what his weaknesses were. He can't create a jump shot off the dribble, can't drive right, and is a terrible passer. Force him right and to pull up for jump shots instead of driving and he struggles. Miami just played him perfectly. Durant he is not.
Welp, guess they shut down Durant too then. Meanwhile Westbrook was building houses made of bricks. Oh and I guess the Spurs then also shut down Lebron James. Just like the Celtics shut down Kobe in that first Celtics series too. We are acting like being shut down by the Miami Heat is a thing a player should be ashamed of...
Or maybe they shut him down because Miami has the best wing defenders in the league and Harden is 23 years old.
Harden is going to be a perennial All-Star. He is going to be the next Joe Johnson, except Morey will know how to put the pieces around him to make a serious championship run.
Fun fact, in the preseason which was the only time they met, when Harden tried to eurostep on Lin, he collided right into Lin whose anticipation of it drew a charging foul.
I dunno if its been posted yet, but I draw many comparisons to Ginobli when i think about hardens game...
Seems very team-oriented, yet eager to assume the role of the #1 guy: <iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lI_0Hsjgbd0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640"></iframe>
Anyone know when they might be releasing his jersey for purchase? I wana be James Harden for Halloween this year.
That's a coaching mistake for going to him too much that defense were expecting him. You need to balance your offense and mix it up and they have no excuse since okc were loaded with stars and maybe they didn't pass the ball around enough and they have no excuses if the defense adjusted for harden because they went to him too much and so obviously defenses will just wait for him on the left side because they expect him there. I'm sure Harden was not the only scoring threat in OkC and they need to spread the ball around to keep defenses confused.
i am on your side, i believe Rocket can play good team-basketball... expect Lin and Harden have some chemical reaction.
Harden was a part of OKC's big three. The Rockets org made a great move on Saturday night, and I am stoked for the potential of this team. As was mentioned several times prior, the team that gets the best player is always the winner of any trade, end of discussion. Harden is a 23 year old All-Star in the making. He's been improving dramatically since his rookie year, and for his age, odds are that he's going to continue to develop into an elite player. 100 out of 100 times, you have to do this trade, it's a "no brainer." Stop being so pessimistic, if you're a Rockets fan, you just landed yourself a major piece of the pie. One step closer to becoming a contender.
Nope, it's bc harden sucks and has already reached his ceiling and lamb is going to be an allstar and that Toronto pick is going to be the next tim Duncan and the Dallas pick is going to be the next Jason kidd and the rockets are stupid. Duh.
