This is a ridiculous thead. We have a good narrative and people want it to end....so we can lose for the exact same reasons but have no positive at all Rocket River
Seriously? There are multiple games where Harden scored 30 by the 3rd quarter with rockets leading. How is he or any other rockets chasing numbers?
Y'all buying too much into the recency effect. I think Harden has lost a degree of trust in the Others. Even just 6-7 games ago, Harden kept passing to teammates, and those teammates kept bricking. I'm not going to pretend like the streak isn't playing a factor (bc it totally is), but if the other Rockets would be able to hit their wide-open 3s, Harden could very easily get his 30+ and we'd be winning games by double digits, instead of having a solid lead and then blowing it in the final quarter. Also, for all those worrying about pressure, Harden is shooting 41% from 3 and 47% overall, over the past 7 games. On like, 27 shot attempts per game. If he was completely inefficient (Westbrook, Kobe), then yeah, MDA needs to find a way to get better offense out of his guys. But Harden is still efficient. He's also only averaging 5 ASTs over those 7 games - CP3 contributes to the low assist total, but it's just bad when your teammates can't hit shots. Harden should easily be averaging close to 10 ASTs a game.
The streak is literally the only positive thing that has happened in this garbage season the Rockets are having, so no, I do not want it to end. Having said that...Harden launching 22 3’s and refusing to attack the rim in the 2nd half is not how we want to keep it alive.
An outrageous thread. First of all, during the streak we have a tremendous winning percentage. Secondly, the narrative that harden is chucking to get the 30 is simply false. Last night he had 30 before the 4th so it makes no sense in this context, but the game before he basically didn’t even bother to try for it until the final 2 minutes when his teammates were trying for it. Against okc he basically coasted the entire 3rd quarter. What they need to do is stop being bad at rebounding and defense
I don't get this. It's clearly fun for the team and fans so why should we voluntarily kill it? How many games have we lost because Harden was chasing 30 points? Zero. The streak primarily started due to Capela's absence (which is also why his assist numbers dropped). Let's enjoy all the fun we can have before the Warriors destroy everyone in the playoffs.
I think I should clarify. By suggesting that an end to the streak would be a good thing, I'm not saying that Harden's offensive brilliance has hurt the team. It has obviously helped. However, for us to take the next step and get into playoff mode, we need to up our game. And I believe that requires a single-minded focus on doing whatever it takes to maximize the chances of winning on a given night. I don't know how you have that focus when the story-line of every game is "how many points can James Harden score tonight?"
I am all for Shumpert or Rivers going on some sort of streak. Streaks need to be shared and Harden is hogging them all. Not too worried about Gordon because we all know he can be streaky. As for Chris Paul...
The only streak I would like to see end is the near quarter century of not making/winning the NBA Finals
Just tired of the one man show Don. When the season is over his shots taken will probably be 500 more than most, and his percentages might not even make top 25. More isn't always best in team sports.
Sorry, but that simply isn't all true. What about two games ago when Green and Paul were red hot from behind the arc? Harden still took like 17 or 18 3's, even though they were shooting at like 50 and 60%.
Now changing goal post to top 25 in the league instead of teammates having higher shooting percentage after "harden shoots 500 more than most". Bonafide hater right here.
Disappointing thread from the smartest contrarian on the board. But you cant be smart AND contrarian when Harden is doing what he is currently doing. So, I guess contrarian wins out.
I'll repeat that this narrative is silly. If their focus was on James Harden getting 30 he would be trying harder to get it. There have been multiple games where he actively acted as a decoy for long stretches. Despite his high points he is taking less shots than most every other player in history who has average as many points as he is currently averaging (including fewer free throws as well.) He has been helping Faried get career highs in points per game. He has tried to defer to CP3. He has been giving up shots to guys like Iman Shumpert, PJ Tucker, etc. The team isn't focused on his 30 points. The roster is flawed and he has to go get those points for them to win. The rest of the squad is so limited offensively that the only thing most of them can do is take 3 pointers or slam off of his passes. That's it. Right now the team is pretty mediocre (at best) on the 3s. What do you want him to do?
To clarify, I don't care if the streak ends. It's irrelevant to me. I'm pushing back against the idea that the streak has negatively impacted the team. I kind of want the streak to end now just so some of you can see how flawed this roster is and why we need him scoring like he does.
I'm starting to think maybe it is to some extent... it's hard to have the motivation to work hard on that end if you're not participating in the offense at all. Watching a guy dribble the ball 1000 times and launch 22 3 pointers can't be much fun.
