Age is the only thing convenient to mention here. Nah, he was absolutely doing work in the WCF and before. Killing the LA Faker Champs and Spurs. 22 years? His 6th man of the Year performance was better than some of his performance in the playoffs as a Rocket. You could see he was hungry as a young player. He was just outclassed, outwitted and there were not enough mismatches for him to abuse back then.
Sure. No doubt. But then my main question is why is Harden sitting at the top of the key throwing his hands up in confusion because a screen never came? I'm not saying D'Antoni didn't communicate anything. I'm just not blaming Harden for the entirety of what went down last night. The entirety of the offense collapsed. It fell apart on every level. It makes me wonder just exactly what was done to correct it on those moments, that's all. And hell...if the whole team just mentally didn't have it down the stretch and forgot what they were supposed to do, then that's just a learning moment and a tough pill to swallow, I guess.
Harden has been the point guard in late game situations in most or all close games in the past. This isn't new to him and there isn't any excuse for his turnovers other than fatigue which is still not an excuse because he should've deferred even more then.
Can't demote him cause I never elevated him. **** him and his whack ass Dwade look-a-like shoes, live your brand ****** you didn't create those
Hmm...dang...it's almost like being consistently dominant is hard to do at age 22! Nevermind having other superstars on your team. Who cares about those!
Harden is a top 3 player in the NBA right now. But if you want to win a ring, you have to get over that hump. Jordan did it. Lebron did it. Kobe did it. A close game like this is a real test of a player's character and decision making skills. Everyone plays up to their potential when they're blowing teams out. Everyone plays down when your team gets blown out. But when the game is this close with numerous lead changes down the wire, that's when you, as a leader, are being tested. Can you lead your team to victory. Can you make crucial decisions on the fly. Can you get your "team" involved. The best players of recent generations: Jordan, Lebron and Kobe have learned to trust their teammates. Harden has got to do that. Holding onto the ball and dribbling it down to 5-6 seconds and then make your move is NOT a going to get us anywhere.
Great players now and in the past like LeBron, Kobe, Wade, and Jordan have all won titles using the mid-range shot. Harden should attempt every wide open three when it's available, but I don't like that we're completely ignoring his post-up abilities and mid-range step back. A simple way to keep the offense flowing in the clutch when it's easier for the ball to get sticky is to post him up and everyone else either space the floor or cut. Late in the game, every point matters, since every point will violently swing win probability one way or the other the closer the game is to 00:00. So even two-point shots become more viable to take at the end. What matters at the end is strictly the probability of making any basket, and of course the probability goes up the closer you are to the rim. Cliff notes - shoot more mid-range in the clutch because they're worth it.
