Even the local media of opposing teams were afraid to pizz off Jordan, so were the coaches and players. And when he was on a mission you could feel the crowd groan. But this was all after many years of serious slaughtering. Lets catch up with a prime Wade first and score the first ring.
Harden is deadly efficient now that his shot has returned. But what makes him otherworldly, and a contender to lead his team to a championship, is his play at the end of games. Did you see what he did last night? Did you even watch the game! Every single time Charlotte made a run, Harden calmly went in, did his 1-on-1 thing, made space, got off a TOUGH TOUGH shot, and nothing but net every single time. That was cold blooded, more cold-blooded than Kobe in his prime just because his shots were all 20-23 footers whereas Kobe likes to operate in the 12-18ft midrange area. No, the only appropriate comparison for that kind of morale killing game is MJ, and that's why people are bringing him up now. They don't mean to disrespect MJ or hype Harden up to that level, but strictly concerning his late game end-of-the-shot-clock playmaking ability, for the past ten games Harden has been on that level. It has been amazing to watch.
harden is that damn good Harden is a flat out stud, that will only get better, I can't wait to see him get his just due, he is behind only durant, james.
Last year, if you took out the help defense, he probably would have scored almost every time. I think the difference now is he got better in reading what the defense is giving him so he is making better decisions. That part of any players game takes time to develop.
Damn he was struggling with his 3 point shot earlier this season and suddenly it's up to 37% which is above his career averages. This guy is growing right in front of our eyes - he has the clutch genes. knows when to get his teammates involved and exactly when to take over. An often underrated part of his game is his tremendous BBall IQ
perfectly fitting MJ was sitting courtside as he watched the fastest emerging superstar in the league. And we get to watch his evolution. Are we not men ? ........We are Harden ! Ok let's Go ! (with apologies to DEVO.) James Harden MVP>
Howard's being a teammate might hurt him. Helps Harden's case. Main thing that worries me was final minutes of Game 3. 2 TOs / 2 missed FTs. He looks more clutch this season, he's trending upward. Hopefully this continues into the postseason. Go Rockets!!
Thing about Hardens game that is so scary is that he is this good without relying on Athleticism soley. He doesn't explode up. Most of his scores are lay-ups and jump shots. He's just that good of a shooter and that savvy of driver. That kind of BBIQ is something you expect from guys who are in their 30's. He's going to be a very good player for a very long time.
Question: Since MJ never actually accomplished this feat* are you more impressed Harden is close to doing it or less, since no one has done it before? That is: is it better to find a stat that *only* MJ has accomplished to give the stat credibility and a GOAT to share with, or is it better to be the only guard to ever lead guards in PPG and TS%? * see my posts on previous page. OP used a wrong qualifying criteria for the stat. The qualifier is the player has to qualify for the PTS/GM leaderboard, meaning John Stockton was the top TS% for guards in '87-88; Jordan was second. OP used an arbitrary qualifier.
I mean Kd and Lebron... they play as guards so yea. However one could make the case Harden is the third best offensive player in the league.
The ability to dribble and create your shot does not make you a guard. You also have to be able to guard guards. And you have to successfully dribble against them. Beating them in the low post doesn't make you a guard. KD and Lebron aren't guards. They can do it for minutes each game, sure; but it is foolish to make them do it all game long. Their teams are more effective when they match up against SFs, and fielding someone else to play SG. That's why they are not starting SGs.
How about this... no guard has ever averaged at least 24.8 ppg while also shooting .616 TS%. No guard has ever scored that many points that efficiently in NBA history.
It's more impressive to keep it simple. No guard has ever led guards in PPG and TS% in the same year. Harden has a chance to be the first. The criteria is the PPG criteria (70 gms or 1400 pts), and TS% actually turns out to be 500 TSA. Stockton met both those criteria.
