He's had some great games and some stinkers. Is it annoying to see the entire media world react the way they do after watching Harden do the same thing more consistently for years? Of course, but Curry is at least playing 100% right now and not coasting like Harden is, so good for him.
Harden is ball dominant and he will not do well playing next to other all stars. It was an incredible accomplishment for Curry to win 3 rings while getting his numbers and pullin back while necessary for a WINNING CAUSE. It's a delicate balance of skill and attitude. Harden has neither Case in point:
LOL okay. Harden came off the bench in OKC didn't say a word. All this he can't play with other stars is nonsense. The reason Dwight and CP3 aren't here anymore is because they got injured and old. They just weren't worth their contract anymore. Curry didn't pull back anything he was carried to rings by injuries to other teams and KD. The luck Warriors had finally caught up to them when Klay and KD went down the last year. It was almost Karma for all the missing stars and role players they went up against through the years. Curry pulls back because he's fragile and he can't carry the load for 82 games. He only made it through like 5 last year. If Harden got to play with Klay, KD and Draymond they would have more than 3 rings. There is a reason that Pop had the Team USA offense run through Harden over curry.
I don't think analyst or fans believe that Harden doesn't perform in the playoffs. Anyone that watches Harden plays or simply goes to basketball reference can see that's a lie. I think were fans or media question Harden is his heart. He has games in the playoffs (several in fact) where he just mails it in. James was playing with 0% heart last night against the Lakers too imo. That's why the analyst or media guys have a problem with him. They aren't just picking on him just to pick on him. Harden is absolutely phenomenal in the regular season, no one can deny that. But the great players elevate their game in the post season, we all know Harden doesn't take it to that next level come playoff time. It's levels to this. I won't include Harden's OKC seasons since obviously he was a sixth man and in a different role. But James averages 29.6 ppg in the regular season vs 28.4 in the post season (Houston numbers only). There is a dip off for Harden. While guys like Curry, LeBron, Kawhi, AD, KD all perform better in the playoffs (higher ppg in the playoffs than the regular season).
That's simply not true that about Paul. It's not that Paul couldn't play anymore, it was the fact that he didn't kiss Harden's ass and James wanted him out. Same way WB called Harden on his $hit and he wanted WB out too. CP3's ppg, fg%, 3pt%, efg%, and ts% all went up with OKC from the year prior he was here in Houston. That's a narrative that you are trying to spin bro. Also it's not fair to bring up Harden OKC days in comparison to him today. He was willing to do anything at that point to be successful lol, he was coming off the freaking bench. But after you win a few scoring titles, get some all nba first team selections, a MVP in there, and the keys to the franchise things change bro. What makes Curry so great imo is that nobody has to alter their game to play with him. If Curry would play as ball dominant as Harden does we would even know how good Klay, or Draymond could have ever become? And despite whatever narrative you are trying to spin regardless of rather you like it or not, Curry was the best player on that 2015 GSW team that won that championship. Injuries or not someone still had to be crowned champion and it was them. Would it had been different if the Spurs won that year under those conditions as opposed to the Warriors? I don't get the logic...
The best player let Andre Iguodala win the finals MVP. Harden only started playing this way recently out of necessity. It was amplified when CP, Gordon and Capela went down in 2018-2019 season. He is a much more willing passer than everyone gives him credit for. Especially considering he's actually led the league in assists. Look at the passing he's doing this year. It doesn't translate to wins cuz our roster is trash and our guys can't make wide open shots to save their lives. I wish he would go back to shooting a million step back threes. Simply not true in what way? CP3 was phenomenal the first year he was here. By the second year he fell off a cliff. He lost all his explosiveness or never recovered from his hamstring injury. He looked a little better last year but not the same player and definitely not a 40 million dollar a year player. The Rockets were not gonna win a ring paying CP that much with an owner not willing to spend in the luxury tax. All of his advanced numbers and shooting percentages dropped significantly the second year. Just watching him play that year was tough cuz he roasted bigs on switches the season before and he was struggling to get around any of them the following year.
Maybe thats where Harden is at his best. Off the bench or as the 3rd best option on the court. He's a glorified scorer and can't count on much else when the chips are down. We have a decade of evidence in the playoffs to see how he falls apart when the pressure is on
My dude you are contradicting yourself in your own freaking post and you don't even see it lol. You said Harden was only playing this way out of necessity because CP3, Gordon, and Capela went down right? (Watch this) But then you said his second year CP3 fell off a cliff, which is the year CP3 went down right? Harden went on a historic run statistically when those guys went down, but when they came back up he was still playing hero ball (look it up). That's why CP3's number and so many other guys on the Rockets that year numbers took a dip. This is what you don't understand about basketball bro. It's not all about scoring. Do you know why guys like CP3 and Rondo or so successful in this league? It's their minds, it's simply their basketball IQ. Not cause they are going to get you 50 points a night bro, but it's literally like having a grand master chess player on the court with you. They see the game three steps ahead. That's why franchises will give up a ton of assets for Paul and pay CP3 a ton of money. As far as Harden goes, if you have the ball in your hand literally 50% of the time that the team is on offense then you better lead the league in assist damnit. No other team allows one guy to be as ball dominant as Harden is here in Houston. Iggy won the Finals MVP because of his contributions on both sides of the court (he was guarding LeBron James remember ). Same way Kawhi had won his Finals MVP the year prior despite not leading his team in ppg during that Finals too (he was guarding LeBron James remember).
Averaging 30 plus a game in the playoffs is falling apart. Sounds good. So every player must average 35 plus to be good in the playoffs? Our shortcomings have more to do with our role players than Harden. He's not perfect but to say he chokes in the playoffs is not true. He's had some really bad games but 90% of the games he's still good and plays as best player on the court.
How is that a contradiction? Paul's usage rate that season barely dropped at all. He just wasn't good that year. Trust me I love CP3. I think he is greatest point guard to ever play the game but won't ever get that respect cuz he hasn't won a ring. All the advanced stats say he is. I hated Westbrook trade and not really liking John Wall, but I am a realist. You won't win a ring with a 36 year old CP3 making 42 million a year. That's just a fact. Phoenix traded for him cuz they desperate to make the playoffs. They aren't really contenders in anyway. his perfect role right now is mentoring a young team because their contracts are soo cheap it offsets his. That's why OKC was pretty successful. Trust me I understand BBIQ. CP is still a good player he's just not a superstar anymore and you can't pay him and Harden 80% of your cap and try to win. It won't work with Tillman.
Harden lead the league in usage rate in 17-18 at 36.1 the first year CP3 was here. The following year his usage rate when up to a historic 40.5. When one player is so ball dominant and takes so much time off the clock it's hard for you to find a rhythm and get to your spot. I don't think we needed Paul to be a superstar in 2018, we just needed him to be out there on the floor. I wasn't a fan of the WB trade either and I think Wall is just ok. The unknown future of this team is quite scary to me, I'm just trying my hardest to be optimistic.
Comparing Steph and Harden always bring me back to the 2018 when CP3 got injured. It was crunchtime in the Play Offs. No errors allowed. Game and series on the line. TIme for heroes to step up. I saw Stephs face shining and grinning, he was embracing this. He took the responsibility and killed us with some clutch 3s. James? I expected him, BEGGED him to take over, to do his iso thing. Make some step backs, whatever. Instead, he passed the ball like a hot potatoe. Well, not the right time to play team ball, dude. Those are the things that regular season stats cannot show. Oh and BTW - MJ was raking up phantasy numbers too, before he won a title. He actually sacrificed his individual stats for the Bulls to get over the hump.
Kawhi almost led the Spurs in scoring and had better all-around stats than anyone on the Spurs. Even if he didn't guard Lebron, he would've still won the FMVP. Iggy's FMVP is a travesty, right up there with Westbrook's MVP. Curry outscored Iggy by almost 10 ppg that series.
Excellent points on CP3 and especially bringing Rondo up. Just like The Point God, Rondo is another player with ELITE Assist: TO ratios. For his career he’s at 3:1 and career playoffs is 3.2 : 1. You absolutely cannot be as careless as Harden is with the ball especially during crunch time of the playoffs. People always bring up 2018 warriors series but in 2019 in CP3s last game as a Rocket ... you know the game with no KD and series up for grabs Harden had 6 turnovers including 4 TO’s in the 4th quarter. He also missed 5 FT’s going 7-12. There’s no overcoming that. But he finished with 35 points so in the eyes of a Harden only fan everything is all good and it was Paul’s fault.
That's exactly it, especially when you go 6-15 from the three point line. You shoot 11-25 from the floor in an elimination game? Out of the 10 2pt shots you took only 1 was a mid range shot and the rest were layups. And even in those 2pt shots you still went 50% in Game 6 and made 10 points off those shots plus your free throws. But when we say things like Harden stop jacking up so many threes, either drive it to the hoop or pull up for the elbow jumper we get called Harden haters on this site LMAO.
we needed Paul to be a superstar for sure. The loss of Ariza and Luc destroyed any chances of us winning. We never replaced our two best defenders and we still haven't cuz our owner is too cheap. The whole roster was healthy to start the season and Hardens usage rate was down. We were trash and the 14th seed in the West. Then Harden went super man and put the entire team on his back to drag us into the playoffs and you are blaming him. Cmon..
