Every year, after Harden's first bad playoff game, this board goes into a meltdown. I don't know when he'll have a bad game, but I know statistically like every superstar ever, he will have 1-3 bad games in a playoff season. So, yeah, eventually Harden will have a bad game. Seems weird to have to say it, but there it is. So when it happens, please chill the F out. Before you run to the board to show us your hard on for Harden's bad game, try to understand that Harden plays a lot of playoff games and we require him to make a relatively high number of difficult shots. He also takes 12 3's a game, which are by nature streaky shots, therefore big swings in scoring are likely. Entire defensive coaching units are hired and fired to think about how to guard a player like Harden. This will result in off games. Anthony Davis and Paul George put up stinkers already. Harden has not done it as often as guys in that tier. He has done it slightly more than Lebron and Durant, and that is obviously because Durant and Lebron were less frequently as heavily relied upon to win a championship (i.e. in general they have better teammates). There is no existential reason why that odd bad game happens except that it's a statistical eventuality. It is not like the universe manifesting a pattern to answer your question about whether Harden ever doesn't play amazing. There may be something to infer from it, but it won't be decisive given the overall sample. Whatever happens, he will be fine the next game. To win a championship, all franchise players have to be helped out at times. All of them. Michael Jordan, Wilt, Russell, Magic, Hakeem, Lebron, Durant, Curry, ALL. They DO NOT ALL improve their efficiency every time they go to the playoffs regardless of their teams. THEY DO NOT. The frequency of that phenomenon is intentionally ignored to maintain this silly narrative. If you feel the incredible need to connect a bad game to some outdated narrative, feel free. But be warned that this TITLE RUN, we all know better. Won't let the media or haters f*ck with us. The media wants a title in LA, anything in the way of that is going to be made to look worse than it actually is. We know what the factors are. We know that if Harden tries his best on both sides of the floor, the rest of the team has a chance to fill the gaps and carve a path to a title. Harden is never going to be discussed in the true context of his career: a quest to win a title in HOUSTON and be the best player in the NBA. Not just any title. A title with the Houston Rockets with all their conditions and circumstances in a way that Durant and Lebron gave up on even trying to achieve. They are Larry O'Brien level stat padders and their aim is to numerically have the most championships at any cost (including loyalty or commitment). Which makes it ironic AF that Harden is sometimes seen as just stats. He's all heart.
Harden postseason play has been consistently trending up since the 2017 playoffs...he’s gotten better in the playoffs every year he dominated GS in last year’s playoffs, and there’s no team on that level this year but yeah, he’ll have some games where he goes 2-13 from 3 or something like that and keep settling even tho he’s off
Harden does tend to ball out in Game 1 of the series and then have a terrible Game 2. I'm ready for it. Role players gotta step up.
Yeah but it kinda makes sense because teams will review tape and do a new plan to stop him. But this time I think OKC will be more focused on stopping Green and Gordo
Then again there is a lot of data that shows Harden plays better on less rest and with games being every other day now with the lack of travel that could play into his favor. He played 34 minutes which is actually 2.5 minutes below his season average. I would probably say that he averages way more in the playoffs given how D'antoni is stubborn with who he plays. He may have a bad game like every player does but I do not believe it will be do to fatigue or anything. The thunder will switch how they play him for sure. I am honestly way more worried about him getting into foul trouble in this game like he did in the first few games of the restart. The Rockets can stay afloat without him on the floor but they are not built to be able to sustain an extended period of time (6 minutes straight) without either Westbrook or Harden on the floor.
This window is as good as it gets. If Harden has a "bad game" that erupts the forum, it's usually because everyone else is choking and there are too many people to blame.
previous years, by playoffs, harden has played almost 37 minutes a game around 80 games carrying the team this playoffs is real different. he had almost 5 months of rest and he's really fresh and has a legit superstar in his prime alongside him and surrounded by multiple legit 3 point shooters with an MDA who's priority is expanding his rotation as much as possible
Exactly, and if this team can play defense against better offenses than this then we are in a great place.
The longer he goes with having great to decent games and the rockets are winning they will throw the entire kitchen sink at Harden. Gordon and Rivers have to be able to execute. That goes for when Harden is sitting. If he goes to the bench with a 7 point lead and within 5 minutes the Rockets are down by 2 Harden comes in and is exhausted which then leads to a “bad game”.
The kind of negativity I dont appreciate. Just expecting failure but disguising it as being woke. While ultimately begining a harden fails in the playoffs narrative Whack...
Not in the bubble. See there is a most definite aspect to crowd impact. Many players feast on that energy, I'd say those crowds and energy swings affect role players even more who are easier to provoke into bad moments. The bubble is quiet. The bubble is cozy. James will not have a bad game in the bubble. I guarantee that. You can see how the role players are just vibing off of James - no outside noise, no peripheral distractions. Purest form of basketball IMO, but it does take out what we the fans can do for our team. Asterisk for the champion this year??
Math, dude, I love you and you have a history here ... but this is uncalled for. Chicken littles will whine no matter what the grown-up say anyways and probably not a good idea to mute it before it happens anyways in an open forum like this. I hope this is just to get the jinx out of the system kind of thread.
