Yeah, and when Harden was double teamed, did he force a bad shot? Or did he pass it to one of his plus-shooting teammates?
lmao, yeah, because Harden’s shots in the playoffs were so high quality as he was able to be so selective with his shots these are the dumb arguments Harden haters now make stop wasting my time
Yep....plus shooting teammates help a playmaker's efficiency. That's a "Harden-hating" argument. Ok. Makes perfect sense....
It doesn't matter at this point. As long has Harden starts figuring out that he can be a better playmaker if he starts looking for his shot more, this offense will be unstoppable. Defense will dictate if they are competitive against the Lakers. Can they slow down AD?
Exactly, in order to optimize his playmaking ability, he still needs to remain an offensive threat. He needs to realize that the best way for him to get his teammates open shots is to draw and kick. Then he creates gravity where they feel like they need to overhelp to prevent him from going to the basket or go out of their way to double him to force the ball out of his hands. He's been making some good reads moving the ball around the perimeter, but going to the basket and manipulating the defense is what elevates him above most other players. He can't lose his aggression.
Did you think I was defending Harden? I'm merely reminding ppl of the criticism Durant got at OKC, and why he left. His last year really sucked there...really sucked. And he did indeed disappear in the 4th against us in 2018, and he probably would have the year before against Pops, except Kawaii only survived 20 minutes of GSW's cheating, in that series. Durant is very passive against double teams (and not elite enough of a dribbler), and defenders who rough him up (when trying to get loose) bother him. And offenses that expect him to play point, so he has ball in his hands without fighting for 4thQ playoff touches, just don't do too well. These are all facts
They only thing stopping them from having the best offense ever is Kyrie's ego. You let Harden be Harden but have Durant, Kyrie, and Harris surrounding him, and you are going to get a record breaking offense. They are already number 4 in offense and they still haven't started clicking yet.
Yes they do. It's a slight exaggeration with 48 minutes but FC and others have been saying this for years.
LOL, "nobody" is also a legit exaggeration. But the vast majority posters who advocate some kind of off ball game for Harden do NOT want him to run around in a motion offense all the time. Most of them just want to see some variety added to his game so that it makes it harder for defenses to double team him. Somehow Harden fans see that as hating on Harden's game when it is just intended for making Harden even better.
This was all correct because it all happened in the fourth quarter and Kyrie and Durant were cold. However, if the Nets attempt to run the Harden offense all game long, they will not win consistently against good, smart teams. They will become the Rockets. Nobody wants that, right? I like seeing Harden as tha facilitator over Kyrie and I agree with y'all in Harden needing to be more aggressive scoring early in games. For whatever reason, he has dialed back his scoring to absolute zero when he could do the facilitating at a four to six. Then, the closer could alternate according to who is the best option in that particular game.
With Durant and Kyrie standing around the three-point line all game long waiting for Harden to pass them the ball.
yea lets not all forget how things went down. This is kd who blew a 3-1 lead and then joined the team who beat him that we're talking about here
But the problem is people like to act like that is the reason we have been losing in the playoffs? Like this what kept us from winning and not defense or simply your roster not being able to capitalize on advantages 4v3s(Westbrook). He's moving off ball right now with Brooklyn but Harden iso is still their best offense imo.
I can see both sides and and they both go to extremes I think he had become stagnant and and some movement was needed. I don't have a side on this I just don't like the exaggeration from both sides.
