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The meaning of a superstar

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Spooner, May 5, 2015.

  1. Spooner

    Spooner Member

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    I first want to say that I am a huge fan of James Harden. We all need to give him our support as long as he is a Rocket. This is a time for us all to stick together as Rockets fans.

    By nature, a superstar imposes his will on another team. He will not be stopped. He strikes fear into the opponent and dominates when he is on the floor. I was never crazy about prime Kobe, but he was a superstar. He punished teams with his shooting, leadership and passion. He was unstoppable when the team needed him the most. It seemed like every time he had the ball, he punished the defense. He wanted the ball in his hands and willed himself and his team over his opponents. Dwayne Wade did whatever it took to win a championship. Sure he had help, but he imposed his will and was a force. A young Derrick Rose was unstoppable no matter the circumstances or the opponent. His team relied on him in the postseason and he delivered. A young Kevin Durant willed his team to the Finals. He dominated with passion like he was supposed to. He wanted the ball and he did whatever was necessary. Dirk did whatever it took to win a championship. He carried a team on his back offensively and was unstoppable. Centers like Hakeem, Shaq, Dwight and even Yao Ming gave everything they had. No matter if they were hurt or the team around them was subpar. They willed their team in any way they could and they dominated.

    I'm not ready to give up on Harden, but at this juncture, no one can argue that he is a superstar. I don't care about regular season stats. He disappeared against Portland last year. He shot sub .400 against a Dallas defense. Tonight, in the biggest Rockets game in close to a decade, he deferred to his teammates. I understand that he is garnering a ton of assists, but we need more than an all-star, much less a role player. We need someone who imposes his will. We need a superstar. For the last two years, Dwight Howard has been the best player on the team and I love him for his effort. He understands what it takes to be a leader and in his prime he willed a very mediocre team to the finals. He is most likely playing hurt and he is giving everything he has every time he steps on the floor.

    Having examined what a superstar is, and the few among many examples I listed, I have trouble seeing James Harden in that light. I hope he grows into those shoes, but he simply is not there yet. There is something lacking from this team and it is first and foremost a player with the passion and will to win and dominate at all costs. If it is anxiety, that is a trait just like anything else and part of what makes a superstar is the mentality to take control and dominate. There are no excuses. We can blame the coach for his adjustments and game plan or we can blame the role players for not stepping up. The fact of the matter is, they are who they are. They are role players and shouldn't be deferred to in order to win games of this magnitude. James Harden can't rely on anyone else for the success of the team, he needs to step up and dominate. There are no excuses.

    Sleep easy everyone, the series is far from over. I will always root for James. I love the guy and his game. I hope he can turn it on soon. Here's to hoping things turn around.
     
  2. getbloodyred

    getbloodyred Member

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    He just defers a lot. I'm not sure if he's nervous or pissed off about the MVP snub, but he's nowhere near as aggressive as he was in the regular season. We don't stand a chance if he play like this.
     
  3. Harden2TheLine

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  4. hoopball

    hoopball Member

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    I've been supporting Harden all season long, but there are certain patterns and mannerisms about him that I feel I really need to vent out about.

    Harden is a streaky shooter and I've been noticing that streakiness extends beyond the realm of shooting. It affects how he plays in general. I really think he plays well when there is a positive momentum going for him. As much as I hate to admit this but he's not mentally tough enough to face the adversity and overcome it. He's just not that type of guy. So, yeah I absolutely believe losing MVP race has affected him mentally and psychologically big time. And some would argue if he's that mentally weak, then he doesn't deserve MVP in the first place, and I kind of have to agree.

    Bottom line : He is not Hakeem Olajuwon. There is no such fire in him. He plays well when everything is going well for him. I repeat : He is not very good at overcoming adversities. That's why I was very nervous about his performance tonight, and damn was I right.
     
  5. Dhoward12

    Dhoward12 Member

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    Like I said, I'm waiting for that signature playoff moment, rockets don't even have to win the game or this series. I just wanna see if he can a series or game where he is clearly the best on the floor win or lose
     
  6. Juxtaposed Jolt

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    It's one game.

    All the stuff you're listing about certain players carrying - that was over the course of the entire playoffs.

    If Harden is this bad in game 2, then we can revisit this thread.
     
  7. cheke64

    cheke64 Member

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    Crossovers, taunting gestures, step back 3s. This are todays superstar traits.
     
    1 person likes this.
  8. josephnicks

    josephnicks Member

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    hes been passive for majority of his postseason career as a rocket.. dont see why it would all of a sudden change. hes had flashes, nothing more. but when his shots dont fall and he doesnt get calls, he starts ball watching, most of the time hes barely on my tv screen.. uninvolved, thats not an mvp..
     
  9. Spooner

    Spooner Member

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    Try the last three years. He was a no show in last year's playoffs and he played like Brandon Jennings against Dallas. This isn't a one time thing and it goes back to his OKC days. I hope the best for James. Everyone who watched him play this year knows he has greatness inside him. His playoffs percentages and mentality at this juncture however, are inexcusable.
     
  10. josephnicks

    josephnicks Member

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    THIS..

    not just one game, put together a great series, takeover a close out game. until that happens the rockets arent contenders.
     
  11. chandlerbang21

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    Flopped in playoffs since days we okc. Nothing will change
     
  12. J Sizzle

    J Sizzle Member

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    I'm a huge Harden homer, but it's not one game. There comes a time where Harden needs to consistently perform at a dependable level. That's not even just hitting a bunch of shots. The defense, the playmaking, the IQ, it all has to be there.

    Against the Mavs, you can afford mistakes and slow nights. Against the Clippers/Warriors/etc, you have to show up every single night.

    We're three years into the Harden era, and I'm not one of those morons who thinks he should be traded every time he has a bad game or something. He's our best chance at a title in the near future, but that's only if he plays to his ability. No title team's have won with their best player underwhelming in the playoffs.
     
  13. Cannonball

    Cannonball Contributing Member

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    Harden shot .465 against Dallas.
     
  14. JayGoogle

    JayGoogle Member

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    haha, funny some posters peek in here when the Rockets lose.
     
  15. Spooner

    Spooner Member

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    My point is that in his first two games he shot under .350
    You are correct however and I'm not going to debate facts. Again, I really like Harden. I'm just stating what I'm seeing
     
  16. FTW Rockets FTW

    FTW Rockets FTW Contributing Member

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    He is a regular season superstar when teams play almost every other day and don't have much time to scout him

    he is yet to take his game to the next level come playoff time. He often goes missing during times of adversity.

    A bit of it is on him and bit of it is on the coaching and the system not able to get him the looks he needs to get going because it's clear teams are doubling him and trappin him hard. This give the ball to Harden and clear out ISo stuff doesn't work in the playoffs
     
  17. Rocket River

    Rocket River Member

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    His problem is he is not angry or frustrated enough

    He comes off at times . . .satisfied

    ROCKET RIVER
     
  18. YaoMing#1

    YaoMing#1 Member

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    This guy is 25 fellas it took all the greats a long time to figure it out harden has plenty of time. With that said you guys are a little overblown after one game. Sure he's underwhlemed in the playoffs to this point but I ask you this. What player is asked to do what the rockets ask harden to do nightly. The game plan is to stop harden and the rocksts are toast and Morey has not given harden the 2nd ball creator/scorer up top to help out. This is just facts and why so many were willing to give up Dmo for dragon. Lebron has Irving curry has Thompson. Blake griffin is so much more talented offensivly than dwight which greatly eleviates the pressure CP3 gets.

    The rockets don't have a single player that can get the offense going other than harden and your seeing it take a toll on him in the payoffs when you play the best teams and coaches. Having Howard is a luxury but a center that can score 20 and grab 15 isn't needed in the nba anymore, spacing and attacking is more important now than ever.

    I really can't get behind ppl questioning his mental makeup and playoffs game when if you look at the nba now it's just not fair to ask harden to do what he's asked and expect him to win and perform against the best teams.

    He's still The toughest game plan in the nba besides lbj the fact that every team knows exactly what im saying right now and he still balls out and gives us a chance to win shows he's stud. And has "IT".

    Last night the rockets had a good lead going and harden was uber aggressive with 8 and 5 after one quarter. Doc rivers the great coach he is forced the ball out of hardens hand and his teamates didn't deliver. If ariza terry and brew hit shots like rivers and Barnes were all talking about a different thing today. They were all awful besides ariza in the first 3 min of the game.
     
  19. rocketmc

    rocketmc Member

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    Harden is a bad test taker. He studies hard, understanding everything but chokes on the test due to the pressure and stress.
     
  20. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    Some truth here

    BUT

    ...as Major said in another thread, we can't have it both ways. We can't say "Man, Morey was robbed & deserved to be higher in the Exec. of the year! He turned over this roster again, got us Brewer, Smith, Prigioni, Terry, Ariza, along with Dwight" and then say "Man, James has no help."

    So which is it?

    Morey has done a great job surrounding Harden

    or

    Morey has not surrounded Harden with enough help.

     

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