Buddy, if that's the understanding you come to from what I said _ so be it... And if you think it was Harden's defense being the reason they lost _ OKAY... Lol... Maybe Morey can trade him for K-Mart and all the issues will be sloved...
what? how does that even make any sense? you can't constantly be playing 4 on 5 on defense and expect to stop anybody. bev can't guard both his man and harden's man. when harden's man gets a free pass into the lane, guess who needs to help out? that's right, pretty much everyone else. harden needs to play better defense because his defense sucks. not just average. it sucks. no one is expecting him to be all defensive first, second, or third team (if they even go as low as that). we're just expecting him to put in the effort and at least make it a little harder on his opponents. if he's hurt and can't move on defense, then sit him. if you're going to be on the court, then play some D. and last i checked, bev and garcia aren't our franchise players.
Harden looked terrible on those plays. You look at all those FGA by Hayward, you only see one good defensive play by Harden, and even then, he got bailed out a bit by Hayward slipping.
Hayward only scored 5 baskets in the entire game with Harden guarding him and he was scoreless in the 4th quarter. To you that offsets 37 points and 8 assists? Personally, I'll take that every time. I find it interesting that you're so upset that Hayward scored 5 baskets with Harden guarding him over the course of Harden's 43 minutes on the floor but don't seem to mention that Hayward was able to score 3 baskets on Brewer in less than 4 minutes. Brewer is a very good defender, was he not trying last night? Do we need to start talking about Brewer's moods? Does Brewer only care about offense? Is Brewer lazy? Can we not read Brewers mind the way posters on the board can read Harden and Howard's minds to determine that they don't care or are unmotivated? Or maybe Hayward played well ?
Stop embarrassing yourself further. What does that bolded nonsense even mean? So what? Rockets have lost to teams that Indiana has beat. Your logic or lack thereof is totally flawed. You're going to constantly make excuses irrespective.
FWIW The 2 guys from the SVP & Russillo show on ESPN ranked the top 5 players in the NBA, both had George in the top 5, and neither had Harden on the list, they didn't even mention his name in the discussion. They did mention Dwight, they said he fell out of the top 5.
Dude you're killing it... Everything you've post is right on the money with FACTUAL information to back it up... No way Harden can be defending here when people just have a blind hate for him despite the FACTS...
The fact that people are even trying to rationalize that kind of lack of effort on the defensive end is disturbing. And the fact that people have to go out of their way to find two or three instances where a max player even tries on defense and pat him on the back for it is frankly, pathetic. It doesn't matter how many points you score...if you DON'T EVEN TRY on defense on 8-9 out of 10 possessions, that's a problem that needs addressing, and quickly. The even bigger problem is that our leader is the one who's doing this. I love Harden and there's no telling where this team would be without him...but honestly, come on. At the very least, put forth enough effort so that this isn't a conversation that is getting louder and louder.
Blaw blaw blaw.... Debating with people who have unadulterated hate for a player is useless... I'm thru with you... But I promise I will make sure I look for you when the Rockets play Indiana.... We'll see what good noise you talking then buddy
You do know both Burks and Burke scored him several times as well. LMBAO But hey you and old buddy keep defending his terrible defense. Too funny
How many points did the other two perimeter players score on Harden? And its not about how many points, its the way he is getting blown by in every game he has played in, dating back to last season.
We can't criticize the franchise player without being called a LOF. It's pathetic. Apparently Harden can do no wrong. The fact that it's been a consistent problem this year is the reason why this thread is ongoing and more will be popping up throughout the season because he is now under a microscope. Expectations do that to the best player on a contending team.
Seemed like Harden was out of position an awful lot. Utah didn't make the Rockets pay for it every time. But I think Harden's mistakes led to 7 FGM. I didn't count FGA. I am very critical of Harden's defense, but the other guards were getting worked over far more than Harden was, to be honest.
Nobody is hating Harden. Like I have said several times, I like Harden and want him to succeed and do great for the Rockets. My problem is with his defensive effort or lack thereof. I get frustrated with his lack of defense knowing that it is purely because of a lack of effort and heart and not due to physical limitations. If Harden could play even average defense, this team would be so so much better. I'm done with you. Your basketball knowledge is too limited for me to waste further time
