their roster is better than the roster Harden had to carry for months in 2018-2019. Harden has carrier worse rosters to the playoffs.
1) Especially compared to the casts that Curry played with when he won championships? Hell to the nah, what you're saying is just not true, brotato. Harden's casts, outside of 2018, were straight trash in Houston. I don't think a single one of them even make the playoffs without him, except maybe the 2019 team. Remember how Dwight barely made the playoffs with Kobe and Pau a year before joining Harden? Then Harden took his overrated bum ass to the WCF two years later after he missed half the regular season. Let alone playing with Klay, Dray, Iggy, and Durant... Three of whom are better than anyone Harden has ever played with in Houston not named Chris Paul. There's a reason Curry had the luxury of averaging like 32 mpg over the past half decade while Harden was playing ~37. Curry's minutes actually went *down* during the Warrior's reign. 2) Again, my point is other players don't HAVE to adapt nearly as much as Harden, so there's no way to know they could have done it. Just look at so many rule changes over the past few years. The officiating is specifically design to hurt his game, and the most prominent ref in the game measurably has it out for him. 3) You still haven't offered any evidence that any star player's numbers wouldn't drop more in the playoffs if they played more elite defensive teams. 4) The main thing that matters is the the relative scale. If your team normally expects you to make 10 3s, and instead you make eight, you're costing them the same relative productivity as if you normally make five and instead you make four. Especially if you're drawing the same defense as you normally would in each case (as Harden does, no matter how poorly he's shooting). Ultimately, though, points #3 and #4 here are a good bit less important relative to the other three. 5) Disagree. The only way to objectively argue these things are with facts, anyway. (Not that this kinda discussion can ever be truly objective). The fact remains: Harden has, far more often than not, played AMAZING overall basketball in the playoffs.
Y’all are still in here copping please lmaoooo. Admit it, you were wrong and he can. I can’t stand curry for obvious reasons as a rockets fan... stop acting like this team is any good. They STINK and he’s doing everything in his power to carry them while being crazy efficient
Stars carry stinky teams...which his is not...to the playoffs all the time. In a world where we see guys carry crap to the postseason, I’m lost on how him being .500 and in 10th places qualifies as support of his ability to carry a team. To .500? Please enlighten us. If you think the teams sucks....so. Elite players are expected to make the playoffs with sorry teams too.
He can what? The 500 record is proof of what? Why is Morants team doing better with the same amount of talent or less?
Don’t be a tool. He’s not better than Harden, OK. But he is a first ballot hofer and has done a solid job carrying a team of relatively mediocre players.
This is not about him being better than Harden its about being in that tier that can carry a team to being thought of as a contender. At least a top 5 seed. Like Lebron and Harden have consistently done, a player who deserves to thought of as the best player in the NBA. Again what has he carried those players too he is not even guaranteed a playoff spot. Morant has done more with a mediocre team in his 1st 2 seasons.
If you are actually saying that Morant is better than steph curry as a lead player your posting privileges should be revoked immediately. The problem in this thread is that you all are basing arguments on the assumption that the 2019 Rockets roster and the current GSW roster are equal. That’s just objectively wrong. Ask all 30 GM’s if they would rather have Eric Gordon and Russel Westbrook or Kelly Oubre and Andrew Wiggins. All 30 will pick the former without question.
People still pretending this is one of the worst teams in the league after last night? Like they didnt just hold embiid to 8-21 shooting? Or are we going to say that was steph curry locking him down too? Every player on the warriors has to become a plus defender to make up for curry and we are saying this team isnt built around him lol! Even andrew wiggins who has been a career bad defender came in and changed his game to be a 2 way player
Why do you keep getting it twisted? This not about the better player, it's about does he do enough to make the players around him better. And nobody is basing this off the 2019 Rockets we are basing it on every team Harden had before the Paul trade, especially the team that went the 1st time to the WCF. Remember that team? I would definitely take this Wiggins over Gordon and you leave out the fact how often Gordon and Westbrook are hurt. Why did you leave off Draymond? I would take him over both of those guys.
It's funny cause the Warriors started the year trying to do what many of us here want to do next year. They tried to win and develop young talent at the same time and failed spectacularly at both. Now, Wiseman got injured, the game opened way up and they're back in the playoff picture. Interesting case study. If it weren't for the trade deadline we might've been able to pull off something like Kelly and Bradley for Wiseman.
I’m not getting anything twisted you just have comprehension issues. If you say Morant has “Done more with a mediocre team”, you are implying that he has been better in the last 2 seasons. Maybe you should reread your own posts or something. It’s frustrating having to explain your own posts to you. Of course I remember that first WCF team. Howard, Beverly, Ariza, Brewer, J smoove, Terry, Capela, Terrence Jones They were far and away more talented than 2021 GSW, If you say otherwise you are either lying or stupid. and by the way, the only reason that team made the wcf was bc Mchale benched Harden and the supporting cast pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in Rockets history. You would take This year’s Draymond over Gordon and WB??? Now you are just trolling. I’m done.
something I have said for years. Curry needs huge defensive wings around him. It’s why they traded dangelo Russell for Andrew Wiggins and went further into the luxury repeater tax to add Kelly oubre. With iggy and klay gone, the warriors knew curry was a sitting duck on defense unless they added some more defense around him. Something Ben Taylor refuses to acknowledge in his assessment of curry
It has nothing to do with teams being equal. Even if we agree that the Warriors supporting cast sucks, SO WHAT. Superstars are expected to get to the playoffs with horrible casts anyway. It's been done countless times. Curry doesn't get a pass for failing to do so. Blaming the help is silly, as a true superstar doesn't need a lot of help to not go lotto.
The argument about what Harden did with the 2019 squad has been used as a comparison to this year's GSW squad a lot in this thread. But you agree, that's a bad comparison. I agree with you that superstars should be expected to lead teams to the playoffs. They are a game out of 8th. I don't think given his supporting cast it is unreasonable to say that securing the 8th seed qualifies as carrying your own team. Plus, Kerr has been on the record about load managing Curry and being cautious this year in preparation for a final run with the classic GS squad next year. I am not trying to say that Curry couldn't be doing better, or Harden couldn't do better with such and such...I just get frustrated when guys aren't evaluated objectively, and In my opinion, Curry deserves some credit this year.
