overall, players guarded by Harden last night shot 7-18 (39%)...keep in mind that the Mavs were shooting over 50% from the field and from three for much of the game until they started choking late 3 blocks and 3 steals as well...he contained dribble penetration against Luka several times preventing him from getting all the way to the rim and being forced to pass it out to the perimeter all this while dropping 49 on 14-20 shooting
Everyone knows he's capable. He was very good defensively in OKC. The reason he doesn't always show it is because of his offensive load and the fact that he is handsy, he can pick up a lot of falls quick if he played great defense all the time.
Harden is so underrated, it's criminal. The bubble, with it's 0 strip clubs, is going to unlock Beast Mode Harden.
He's only been an elite post defender for 3 years plus a restart. And still the PbP guys shout "mismatch!" when hes defending a big man.
1. Harden gets a bad rap because sometimes he takes a mental or physical break on defense, and those plays look (and are) terrible. But it's just as true that when he locks in, he's a solid defender. To me it was really notable how aggressive and effective he was on defense at the end of the Mavs game, in OT, once he knew that all he had to do was prevent a score. 2. I wouldn't be surprised at all, given his extensive on-court conversations with referees about their reasons -- and just inferring from the technical precision of his compliance with the rules, as analyzed on video by veteran refs -- if Harden works with a career referee, in some kind of consulting arrangement, to understand exactly what he can and can't get away with, e.g. on steps and on post defense.
I'm saying that Harden couldn't stay in front of Luka every time he was switched on him and it resulted in defensive breakdowns every possession.
Educate yourself. Points matter more than aesthetics. And you do not have to exaggerate or lie to make your point. Luka did not blow by Harden MORE THAN A DOZEN times. Crunch time defense Harden’s defense was even better in the fourth quarter and overtime against Dallas. Harden had the second-best defensive rating in the fourth quarter at 72.7 and the best defensive rebounding percentage. His intensity late in the game was great as he had four rebounds, one steal and two blocks in the fourth quarter alone. The Rockets’ overall defense was much better in the fourth, holding the Mavericks to only 30 points combined in the fourth and overtime.
