the narrative would be that Harden has been embarrassing himself all playoffs getting carried by his teammates...that he’s been a complete no-show if he had 2 great games in the finals, but then scored 12 points on 10 shots, basically not even showing up or “quitting” as the Harden haters would say, Harden would be getting called a loser and choker since Harden haters want to prop up Jimmy so much, let’s keep that same energy, because if Jimmy Butler had had another great game, they’d be the most active posters in the GARM claiming Jimmy Butler has surpassed Harden and trashing James all night long...but since Butler basically quit tonight, we can hardly find them
Are you sure? Because if I’m up 20 after 3 and you outscore me by 19 in the 4th I’m pretty sure this is a close game. By my math I’ve only won the game by 1 point. But your math involves points being worth different things at different times in the game. So I could be wrong. You could keep changing the subject or just explain how a point in the 4th quarter or crunch time or whenever else is worth more than any other time. Good luck with that.
Yes I'm sure. I'll see if you can figure out your mistake on your own. And note that I didn't say "worth more". I said "more important than".
I been keeping a bit of tabs on the 4th quarter points thing So it seems Coasting for 3 quarters, letting your teammates keep you in the game . . is more noble if you show up in the forth than Dragging your team for three quarters and 7 minutes .. . . only to not have enough gas to finish while none of your teammates step up Rocket River
Actually if James Harden had those type of performances in the second round of the playoffs without Westbrook and EG, I can guarantee you that I would personally be applauding him on this page. No one is saying that Jimmy Butler is better than James Harden. The concern is that James Harden has extremely underperformed in elimination games (last 6 games: 23.8 ppg, FG 38%, 6.7 TO, and 1-6 overall). There is simply always an excuse when Harden underperforms: Loss to the Warriors in 2015 (13 turnovers), Concussion against the Spurs (went to a Travis Scott concert at a club right after), game 6 against the Warriors (Curry blew up for 33 in the second half). Against the Lakers this year, we gave up and that was leadership flaws. Our team gave up because our leader (aka Harden) didn't push our team the way Jimmy Butler did this series. I don't want the next 10 years to be based on "what could have been" if CP3 didn't get hurt. LeBron lost Kyrie and Love and then beat the same team (greatest record of all time) then next season. Make it happen Harden, inspire and lead when the pressure is at its highest.
12 points on 10 shots in 45 minutes in an elimination game.... while getting no doubles? What happened to Butler? FWIW, nothing against Butler, he is one of my favorite players.... the point is that this thread was stupid to begin with.
i'm not saying he's been great, but those numbers are basically destroyed by game 5 in 2015 and game 6 against the spurs. the others have been fine, including 30/6/5 against the lakers and 32/6/6, 35/6/6, and 35/8/5 in the 3 other warriors years. game 7 against okc was bad with good 4th Q play. also, we won 4 consecutive elimination games right before the "previous 7" numbers start.
No, you haven't. You only think you have because you're not paying any attention to what I'm saying. So, I would repeat what you just said back to you. As for being out of touch with reality, though: Really? Do you really, truly believe that when owners make certain moves they don't still expect the GM to deal with it, and win?? GMs get fired ALL THE TIME, when they don't win, REGARDLESS of what decisions the owners made them make.
Because fan math. But any coach will say exactly what you said. Ditto for early season games, too. They all count the same at the end. You see this when teams have great finishes, to make a blowout game close. Those teams are great...people neglect the poor first half performance that made the big comeback necessary. Flip the quarters around, though, and its 'they choked that one away!'. Score at end of game the exact same either way, but fan perception 180 degrees reversed.
I think the fouls were still in his head for the 2nd half. In the third quarter, he might have been in "f*ck it, I'm gonna foul out anyway" mode to some extent, but his defense clearly suffered all game regardless. But as the game drew to its end and tightened up, I"m sure those fouls affected his play. THere's no way for them not to.
The Rock? How 'bout Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan? That's when I stopped. Rock was a baby then. Andre MADE professional wrestling what it is....hasn't been the same without him (and there will never be another one like him).
It's not as simple as "Make it Happen Harden". You can't be old, small, and slow and win the title. The GM announces the game plan and gets a coach who won't adjust. The team is bad at rebounding and mediocre at shooting. It's a joke. Harden is a flawed player who has dropped some stinkers in some big games, but that's not the whole picture. It's lazy just to blame Harden. No one player could have dragged this bunch to a title. The way the organization operates is stupid. You never see Pat Riley or Popovich announce a game plan for the season. They are literally more worried about reinventing the sport than winning the Championship. But hey at least Morey wins the MIT Sloan Sports analytics conference every year!
How is curry blowing up for 33 on Harden? See this is why nobody takes you all seriously. How the hell does Lebron losing those guys one and then winning the next show anything about Harden? It just goes to show you how winning equates to the talent around you. When has Harden played with that level of talent?
Look at Butlers numbers from last Butler fans . . . .. Where was that dog last nite? Where was the mythical never say die . . .fight to the last second . . . carry his team no matter what the odds dog last nite????? Let's not talk about Harden . . . WHAT THE F*CK HAPPENED TO BUTLER LAST NIGHT!!!?!?!??! Rocket River
Coaching and personnel makes a lot of difference. If you look closely Harden also had great games against an even better team in KD Warriors but his teammates and coach sucked whereas Butler has good teammates and one of the best coaches in the world.
He was exhausted from leaving everything on the floor and dragging that injured team to a game 6. Or so I’m told. Nothing against Butler who is a great player but it’s plainly clear that Harden is graded on a different scale from other players.
Of course owners still want to win. But if the team underperforms because of moves that the owner made, why wouldn't the GM get a longer leash? Can you provide examples to the contrary?