Great point. I remember LeBron coming up short in the playoffs a few times before he finally got it right, and most other superstar/team leaders stumble in the playoffs before they learn what it's all about.
Yeah Lebron doesn't shoot terribly like Harden does and he contributes in other ways even when he isn't scoring (defense, playmaking)
He's shooting 29 ****ing percent and playing at best below average defense. He gets no excuses from me.
regular season =/= playoffs playoffs expose the weaknesses that you can get away with in the regular season. when the refs don't fall for your flops and defenses adjust to your offensive style this is what happens.
Nobody is getting off the bandwagon... he's still a tremendously talented player, but his sporadic lack of effort games are infuriating. He needs to show some heart
Harden's just in a slump, which began in the last few games of the regular season. He needs to be smart take it to the hole.
Not comparing their games at all, nor saying they're equal as players, but after Lebron's first couple of playoff failures, people were saying he couldn't get it done when the pressure was on. Most young guys who are asked to carry teams run into before then finally figure it out. And yeah, if Harden bothered to play defense we obviously wouldn't be in the predicament we're in now.
I can't believe you just mentioned Lebron in the same sentence as Harden. Lebron, in his 4th yr, as a 21yr old, carried the least talented team in the NBA to the finals
people were saying lebron couldn't win a championship. we're wondering if harden can even step up in the playoffs
He can and he will. He's young and he's pressing. Too bad we can't trot out the top 5 CF posters. Apparently you guys play lock down D, never miss or get rattled. I'd definitely enjoy seeing LMA continue to rain with three of you draped on his back.
I'm not absolving Harden of the blame, he certainly deserves his fair share. But we've sucked in plenty of other areas: rebounding, no adjustments for LMA god mode, looking lost in the half court, etc. And yes, I'm implying McHale is a major culprit too. Even the Heat run plays to free up Lebron. It's been incredibly frustrating to watch Harden and he deserves plenty of blame, but there's plenty of that to go around.
I wish Harden did more in these playoffs so far, but I blame our losses on LMA just being straight nasty and making some crazy shots when he was being well defended. That dude is singlehandedly defeating us. Not Harden.
