Iggy compares playing Houston to a practice scrimmage

Not elevating Harden to Kobe's level, just saying that Kobe's all-defensive team selections were in an era where defense was evaluated differently. His best defensive seasons were when Shaq was also on the court, and even then he often sported negative defensive +/- numbers. His career on/off numbers are a wash defensively - some early seasons he shows a positive impact, in later seasons he shows a negative impact.

For comparison, Harden's on/off rating for defense is +0.7, which is bad but not nearly as awful as people make it out. In 13-14, it was 0.2. Last year it was actually a pretty appalling +5.5, but the overall DRtg for the team was an impressive 104. His worst defensive on/off season was with OKC, when people were touting him as a 2 way player.

Kobe's on/off numbers during his 2006-11 first team all-defense reign from -3.3 (very good) to +4 (very bad). Yet, nobody questions his defense and they lambast Harden's defense. Harden has clearly had worse defensive seasons than Kobe and doesn't deserve to be in the same sentence as Kobe defensively.

But the fact of the matter is Harden hasn't been as bad as people make it out to be and Kobe has been nowhere near as good as his legendary defensive status - he settles out at average.

 

This is embarrassing

 

But it's cool maybe sarcasm is more palatable than numbers and dogma is more palatable than objectivity.

 

Spoiler

 

Care to respond to the on/off numbers? Kobe wasn't a defensive juggernaut in the way that Tony Allen is. Kobe was undoubtedly better than Harden but people were OK with Harden's defense last year. Winning fixes a lot.

I think Kobe was an average to above-average defender. I think Harden is a below-average defender who has the potential to be an average defender. I don't think these are crazy assertions.

 

Scrub coach JBB makes Rockets play like a bunch of chickens with head cut.

 

Lol analytics tell you that Kobe is only a little bit better than Harden?

 

Nobody want to watch soft ass playing playoffs...

 

Sad but he is true. Pathetic.

 

Analytics tell me Kobe is overrated as a defender and Harden isn't as bad as YouTube would have you believe. That's all.

 

I guess if the Rockets do win a game this series, then GS is going to get hell over having lost to the lowly just scrimmage-worthy Rockets who have had about twenty new butt holes ripped open just overnight. We shouldn't win a single game so just one win is a short-lived victory in my book.

 

I don't know how people expected this series to go but there have been no surprises to me at all.

The Rockets were a mediocre team and the only reason they are in the playoffs is because it was a down year in the Western Conference.

The reward for sleep walking and piss poor play is a date with the team with the best regular season record in the history of the league.

I don't know how people expected this series to go.

They kicked the crap out of us pretty much every game for 2 yrs and last year they did it when the Rockets were pretty good.

The sooner this season ends the better for me so we can get a real coach and he can come in and change the culture and make someone accountable on this roster and fix the issues that made this season a waste.

 

This is the stupidity of CF... Still blaming a coach who isn't here for a system and set of players dictated by the GM who is STILL here.

 

Kobe played team defense his whole career until the last few years. Harden played team defense for one year and it is incredible how much it manifests itself in the stats that all of CF and Morey seem to love.

When was the last time anyone remembers James chasing down a fast break for a block? He doesn't give effort on that end and it's despicable.

 

This motha****a use to play with Iverson, who didn't take practice seriously. WTF do you expect.

 

Now if this type of comment doesn't light a fire underneath this squad, I don't know what will. We really need to show these cocky jokers that we can beat them.

 

Kobe was dogged early ins his career for taking plays off and letting Shaq clean up the mess. Mid-late career Kobe was much more consistent until his body started to give way. That was during his 2006-11 first team defense run, something which rewarded his improved defense, but he wasn't really head and shoulders better than other wing defenders in that era.

Harden has been mediocre defensively but showed last year he has the potential to be at least average. As bad as YouTube makes him out to be this year, he's not that much worse, though he started out the gates poorly due to conditioning and lack of focus. I think he deserves the criticism he gets because his effort is a huge part of our awful transition D.

But I think Kobe was the most overrated defender of the past decade. He was pretty average, not a defensive stopper like MJ.

 

Again, I said team defense. Neither were great one on one defenders game in and game out, but Kobe played team D in the playoffs especially. Harden is an embarrassment on that end of the court. Whether Kobe was overrated or not doesn't change that about Harden.

 

Why are we even comparing Hardens defense to Kobe's defense. You never seen Kobe play horrific defense like Harden, especially in his freaking prime.

 

Sounds about right. There is zero game plan and a group of guys that can't wait to get to the offseason.