[ClutchFans] Podcast: Rockets take Game 5, but Harden still in a deep funk

Harden hasn't put in ONE good game this series..

Game 1- 8-28
Game 2- 6-19
Game 3- 13-35
Game 4- 9-21
Game 5- 5-15

 

Apparently it's Jeremy Lin's fault.

 

This is why Harden needs to buy in on team concept. He can pass to the open man and give them shots. He can win by truly being the PG not just the guy who holds the ball the longest to jack up bad shots

 

This is what Tmac had the ability to do. Dominate the game even when his shot wasn't dropping. Kobe had this ability as well, as he would go on assist crazy games just to prove a point. At this point I think Harden is fools gold. All flash and style but too many flaws and no defense. Kind of like Stevie Franchise. Perennial all star but not on the level of Kobe, Tmac, or 2006 DWade even.

 

Awesome podcast Dave! I want the Rockets to keep winning so I can keep hearing these podcasts with you and MK.

Regarding Harden's shot...it just feels like because he isn't getting to the FT line consistently enough (refs just not calling those fouls) it is throwing off his rhythm. And it is bringing in some hesitancy to his play. Too much thinking and not enough just flowing.

Matthews is playing good D, but Harden is making it tough on himself.

 

He hasn't probably visited clutchfans the last month.

 

Harden's FG% so far in this series is 34.75%. His 3P% is lower than 30%.

I don't think 15 shots is too few if he is not making them.

By the time he shoots himself out of his slump, the Rockets would have lost the series.

He needs to drive more or find other ways to help the TEAM win rather than thinking that he has to be the one to make the shot and play hero ball.

 

I did both. I was mostly posting about the assault that Jeremy has been getting this entire series. Yet people are just coming around to maybe Harden is the problem. I knew this after game 2. After watching Harden for 2 seasons, i've noticed that being a funk for him is like scoring under 20 points but still dishing out double figure assists.
Jeremy Lin is playing the exact same way that he has been playing in that same amount of time. As a matter of fact, everyone else has been on point, except Harden. But guess who has been getting destroyed all week?

Oh, great podcast, btw.:grin:

 

Lin's mistakes are magnified because they were at the most critical junctures. That's life.

Harden is the bigger issue. I think pressure defenses really bother him, and the way a ref calls a game does too. The physical play is draining and not getting calls is defeating. The amount of criticism on him is something he has not experienced in his career. It's a lot of pressure that comes with being the leader of a contender, and he's struggling with it on and off the court.

But such is life. Guys may crumble in the short-term, and bounce back in the long-run. Some guys thrive on it. Some guys get freaked out by it and then recover and get stronger from it. And some never recover (see Nick Anderson).

Both Lin and Harden are having these sorts of moments. And this is just round 1! The pressure and spotlight only increases as you go on further. It's one thing to be a sixth man with nothing to lose. It's another to be the leading vet where everyone is looking to you for that leadership.

Right now, Harden is a flawed leader. Not because he doesn't care. But because he doesn't know how to. He cares. He plays hard and wants to win. His defense yesterday was better than I've seen at any point in the playoffs, and perhaps the best I can ever remember. But it is still flawed. His psyche is not as tough as he thought it was. And that can be hard when you are 24 and don't have the mental toughness that you will have at 27.

Harden's issues are probably more mental than they are Wesley Matthews. I think Harden will work it out - if not the next game, perhaps next year. He's such a clutch performer and hard to phaze, but it's clear he has been phazed.

In a way, the problem might be that he cares too much about trying to please everyone or being great. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how terribly he shoot, or how much criticism he receives. What matters is winning. And it's ok to win ugly so long as you win. And that has more to do with hustle than shooting a great percentage.

So for me, as long as he is hustling his tail off on defense, I dont mind his offensive struggles.

 

After game 1 i probably said 30x..."Harden will NOT shoot this bad again"

 

I'd say Harden's game 4 performance was good. And I think he played better than his numbers indicated yesterday.

That said, I also wonder where some ppl are getting the idea that Lin played poorly this whole series until yesterday (not saying the podcast was saying that, but there are definitely some posters, and even some articles saying this)

Lin was a positive in games 1 and 3, disappeared in game 2, and was a negative in game 4. Definitely did not have performances as good as yesterday, but IMO he was all right in 1 and 3.

I also question the notion that Lin is a confidence player and just needs to get those shots to fall early to "get rolling." He was 1-6 or 2-7 in games 1 and 3... if that destroyed his confidence for the rest of the game, it certainly didn't look like it, as he went on to score most of his points in the 4th quarter and OT. He also noted that, in his view at least, he played with the same mindset in game 4 as game 5. The shots simply went in in game 5. So there's got to be more to it than Lin's mental game being the problem (though I admit it probably does contribute to it)

 

I'm with MK. Matthews is playing well, but Harden's getting plenty of open looks. It's not like he's getting locked down, he just needs to knock some more of those shots down. It's really that simple.

 

Brad Lidge effect? I went there.

 

That Mk fella is tough to listen to...

 

I was pissed about that turnover, but if we lose this series it's not because of Lin. His effort and aggressiveness has been there. Minus the dumb mental mistakes he's played well this series.

If there were 2 games we need Harden to step up and redeem himself, it's these next 2 games.

Go Rox!!

 

I disagree with the notion that Lin's mental mistake was big enough to justify his booing. You should NEVER boo a player as long, as long as they haven't quit. That's just classless man. Fortunately it seemed only a small group was doing it, and not the majority.

 

Well it seemed to work, because he came out and took over the next game.

 

Probably due more to his teammates showing support than booing from the crowd.

 

He doesn't sugar coat things. I appreciate his candor!