This is the correct answer. **** anybody who still needs to be "won over." I don't need those people jumping on any bandwagons now. The line in the sand has been drawn, and literally every member of the media not in the city of Houston has chosen to get in line for a GSW train.
Harden was my favorite OKC player before becoming a Rocket so this is a bit silly. If you are looking for reasons to criticize him, basically just argue that he is shooting too much or passing too much (LeBron). I wish he had gone to this type of hero ball in the 2nd quarter rather than complaining to the refs. They are going to have to double team him. Will our perimeter shooters start hitting with consistency?
And that's just the offensive show he put on last night. He's an excellent passer and played great D last night. And for someone who asked for those 2nd half highlights of Harden, they're on the deadspin article.
I wasn't won over when we got him. I thought we would be paying too much for a guy that wasn't exactly "proven." Boy, was I wrong. Anyone who doubts Harden at this point in time should not call themselves a Rockets fan.
His defense has digress big time in these moments. Offensively, he just doesn't have the skillset to rise over and score efficiently against a team in playoff-mode. He's not LeBron great in that aspect but I can't fault him for that. It's on the defensive ends that he has more control over and it seems he chooses to not totally focus on that which is maddening to me.
I remember me and my friend going absolutely insane at a wedding when we found out he's coming here. I believe it was during the evening when news first broke.
Harden was AWESOME! He gave a real playoff superstar performance. All he needs is a younger, competent PG who can play alongside him and a healthy team( Dwight obviously being the most important one of them all), in order to win a NBA Championship. Go Houston Rockets!
Nobody is "Lebron great" other than MJ. Also, you're absolutely wrong on the skill part. He is the most versatile and skillful two guard in the league. The reason he sometimes struggles in the playoffs is because he is not a super athlete like Lebron or Westbrook - he can not just leap over 7 footers that are protecting the paint and dunk in their faces. Harden is an average athlete - not very fast and doesn't jump that high - and that gives him trouble sometimes. But that's exactly why I am so impressed with Harden. He is overcoming his natural talent with various skills he has acquired during his time in this league. He has gotten better with every passing year, and if this trend continues, Harden could be up there with one of the greats.
The shots Harden was making last night was similar to Dwayne Wade in the Finals. Unstoppable and you knew he would've made more had the team kept feeding him.
I share your frustration, but I do think the main reason why his defensive tenacity has digressed compared with the beginning of this season is because he is just too damn exhausted. He played the most minutes during the regular season, and I don't think his stamina is strong enough to support him playing full throttle on both ends of the floor. Of course, that does not excuse his occasional defensive lapses, but I don't think it has anything to do with his mental weakness. Just makes me appreciate MJ, Kobe and Wade more because they were actually able to pull that off. Maybe so could Harden, if he loses some of his weight and get leaner.
Only thing for Harden is that he lacks a great leader quality for the team. I think Ariza and JT are the team leaders right now, not Harden, not Howard.
Will rep if someone can post the .gif of Jordan and other superstars going off on dunks, etc. with close ups of Harden shooting free throws. So awesome.
Seriously. Durant, Kobe, Russ, Lebron have all shot 9+ free throws multiple times in their careers. Harden ACTUALLY gets fouled. The refs need to call them no matter what hack writers say. All they do is just repeat what each other say ad naseum. Its embarrassing. Does ANYONE have their own opinions anymore or is that already illegal.
I disagree. Think he is doing a great job and will only get better. He is still only 25 years old with room to grow. I loved what I saw from him last night going to the hole and attacking whether or not the refs were calling the deserved fouls. I've seen him calm Dwight down multiple times during this playoff season.
Thanks for the heads up. I didn't click the link. Can anyone tell me how many point the Warriors scored on the 5 Harden turnovers for the game?
This. Curry is seen as the more flashy player but the majority of his points come from shooting open threes b/c there are other players on the court that opposing defenses actually fear and have to account for. I can't believe that there are people who think that Curry is the overall better player. He's the overall better shooter... but that's about it.
