when did free-throws become such a big deal all great players from karl malone, to kevin durant, to barkley and jordan have shot a ton of free-throws why do they hate on just harden, something stinks here
Harden going full on "**** it, give me the ball" for the stretch and burying everything was beautiful to watch. Too bad he didn't have a lick of help anywhere last night because that game was there for the taking.
last night saw his best game in a month. he didnt have a good game, but a great game. in the 4th he made 5 shots in a row at one point, and those are the kind of shots only top players can make. but it doesnt change my view on harden. an elite player and a true superstar. i am just not convinced his game and personality, the way they are, are enough for his team to win championships w/ him being #1 on the team.
Does anyone have video of that stretch where Harden scored consecutively to put the Rockets back in the game? I had a tough time arguing with my friends (who are Rockets fans by the way) That they were b****ing about harden being passive in rounds 1 and 2 but then when Harden is being agressive they continued their moaning about how he is going ISO ball hog. It's like Harden can't win anyone over.
I agree with you 90%. There are a lot of misconceptions about what Harden does to draw those fouls among the casual fans and it's really annoying. Harden rarely "flops" - of course, sometimes he does, but not as nearly often as many people think - instead, he possesses genuine knack for creating contact and I really think it's an unique and deadly skill that doesn't need to be looked down upon. One thing that does bother me though, is that Harden does this even when he can just finish strong at the rim. That I don't like. And I also think Harden should not let this skill be his go to move, so to speak - he is way too talented for that and it really taints his overall reputation. I said this million times before but say it again : Harden is the most versatile and skillful one-on-one player in the NBA, hands down. He has so many other options to choose from when he is looking to score other than drawing fouls. If Harden can mix some of what he did yesterday with what he usually does any other given day, then I really think general fans will appreciate his game much much more.
i cant believe the difficulty of those shots he hits, incredible to watch. so much better than watching curry get open off of bogut/green moving screens
I got won over on the first game he played for us against Detroit in 2012. He hadn't even practiced with the team I don't think and he went off for 37 and 12 assists. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cCAFdBWuNhw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Heres all I could find at the moment. Should start where he goes off. If it doesn't it starts at 1:44 mark. https://youtu.be/YzSRWF2i5jM?t=1m44s Sorry I suck at embedding
I've never needed convincing that Harden is an elite talent. Am I convinced that he'll consistently bring it on both ends of the floor? No. Not even close. His defensive consistency is still suspect as hell. Harden had multiple crappy defensive games as recently as last series. Show me consistent defensive effort for this entire series and win or lose that will go a long way to convince me that he's ready to play at the next tier. If you can't bring it in the CF's, then why would I ever trust a player to bring it?
he was awesome last night. i think once he realized Howard wasnt coming back he stepped it up. we could have won, unfortunately Smith and TJ missed some shots at the stretch they should have made
His best game in the playoffs. He dominated. The usual Harden would had been rattled by Klay. He dribbled right into the paint ready to **** someone's wife doggystyle
The only area Harden has to work on is defense, offensively he is absolute total package. And I genuinely think McHale's inability to come up with at least some semblance of team offense really puts Harden on a difficult spot. Given how many times Harden is left alone in isolation situation, it is incredible that he still maintains that level of efficiency. I've always believed that Harden's PER and shooting percentages will go up dramatically once we stop playing iso ball with Harden and give him some help on the offensive end of the floor. Curry is a great shooter, but a lot of guys set screens and move around just to provide him with an inch of space where he can pull up a jumper. Also, many of his field goals are assisted by his teammates. Harden gets almost zero help of that kind.
It's the media's fault the peeps hate on him. They created the narrative. That said, I could care less what others think. I love him!!!