Hey guys! I got the Open Floor podcast to read one of my emails on air again! This time it was following the win against the Clippers and I got them to discuss Harden for a good while. I've previously been annoyed that when Ben and Andrew discuss the question of who is the best player in the game they leave Harden entirely out of the conversation. Lebron, Kawhi, Giannis, Durant and Steph all get mention but not Harden. Well, I at least got them to discuss it! Andrew is no longer on the show but Rob Mahoney acknowledged that Harden belongs in the discussion. Ben does not believe Harden belongs in the conversation but is also apparently leaving both Steph and Durant out of that discussion as well. Anyway, if you go to listen to the episode they released today (11/15) they begin reading my email at the 18:24 mark. My first name is Jonathan. p.s. He completely ignored the whole part of my email about how dumb D'Antoni is for not playing Hartenstein. https://www.si.com/si-nba-open-floor-podcast
Golliver annoyed me yesterday on the Locked on NBA podcast. Locke was surprisingly trying to give the Rockets some ups for the Clippers win but Golliver kept pivoting back to Clippers talking points; Lou Williams defense, Kawhi coasting until 4Q, integrating PG back into the offense, etc. Jesus dude I know you're based in L.A. now but give the Rockets and Harden some credit for a big win. I usually think his takes are decent.
Good stuff man. I mentioned yesterday in another thread that Harden needs signature playoff moments. Even in defeat. Everyone knows that the Rox have lost to GS the past couple of seasons, and that they were stacked. But Harden has never gone out in a "blaze of glory". A lot of Rox fans want to put Harden on or above MJ's level so i will use MJ as a comparison. In 1986 Jordan didn't have a "stacked" team. It was quite the opposite. His teammates were horrible. Everyone knew that the Bulls would get destroyed by Boston during the playoffs, which they did. They were swept. But Jordan put up 49 in game 1 and 63 in game 2. Game 2 is still the single greatest playoff performance i have ever seen in defeat. After the game(or series) Bird compared Jordan to God. He lost but everyone knew, at that point, even in defeat, that this dude was on an entirely different level. He lost but he went out swinging. Dream lost in 87 to the Sonics. But in the closeout game he put up 49 pts 25 rebounds and 6 blocks. There was no doubt about who the best player was on the floor and he actually GAINED crazy respect even in defeat. He went out swinging. If Harden would have 1 or 2 games in the playoffs win or lose like he had the other night vs the Clippers, then he would be in everyone's discussion for best player in the game. But he has never had what we would consider to be a special Harden like game in a pivotal or closeout playoff game. James has the talent to score 50 or 60 points in a playoff game. But for whatever reason it hasn't happened. He has had very good playoff games, but not one of legendary great games. I hope that this will be his year(playoffs). If we win it all then he will shut everyone up. But even if we don't and James goes down swinging, then i think the public or national perception would change and the level of disrespect that he endures would slowly start to fade.
Ben’s candidates for Best Player are Kawhi, Giannis, and LeBron. That sounds about right, as the kind of players you’d want to build a franchise around or that you’d want in a 7-game playoff series. But Harden is an unsurpassed floor raiser in the regular season, and maybe he should get more credit for that.
I wonder how much longer that show will go on. Didn’t Rob Mahoney recently leave SI? And obviously Ben left there quite a while ago. I liked Ben and Andrew’s chemistry and hope they start a new pod together.
Rob Mahoney is great BUT I feel like he and Ben Golliver are too similar. It turns into another Dunc'd On where it's just two cerebral nerds talking. Ben needs Andrew to balance him out. I really hope they reconnect. It hasn't been the same without him. Although I feel bad saying that after the love Rob gave me today. Especially with Andrew Sharpe being one of the biggest Harden/Rockets haters in the media.
Golliver used to be more balanced but ever since he and Sharp "got in on the ground floor of Giannis Inc" he has constantly discredited Harden to prop up his guy and make himself look smart. He's a good writer but he isn't as unbiased as he used to be
His point was alright until he put Giannis as a top player candidate. If Harden doesn't deserve to be considered the best because of his playoff failings, then the only players that are eligible should be Kwahi, Durant, LeBron, and Curry.
Giannis as MVP is ridiculous since his team is in 3 team tie for 2nd in East. This bias for anyone but Harden needs to be exposed for the petty hate and jealousy that it is.
In a hypothetical draft with 12 rounds, where the goal is to put together a 12-man roster to play through a season and win a championship, how many people take Harden over Giannis with the first pick? That’s my preferred way of looking at this “best player” question.
wow. He must really like you to read your email with only so little bootlicking and such aggressive Termite like style.. are you perhaps his follower on instagram who wakes up for sunrises? I want to send an email too but I'm afraid I will end up as another sorry Elisabeth. Looks like that Sharp is not coming back for good , there is just not enough bullying without him.
I don’t even understand why this podcast still exists under the SI banner anymore. Golliver must have some contract to do this for a while despite being long gone from the publication. I hope he and Sharp reunite at some point. Individually I find neither one terribly compelling, but they are a fun listen together.
