Steph literally got mvp that year unanimously. His team won 73 games. Like it or not they beat Durant head to head. Also that game where Kay went nuclear Durant chocked hard. The numbers will show you that Curry has been a better offensive player. They also didn’t have nobodies on that thunder team. This was also when Westbrook was actually good. He may not be better than KD now but he absolutely was before. And the numbers have backed that up. You can’t tell me that Durant would have won without Curry. It’s flat out not true.
I read somewhere the Nets are linked to Ariza once he and the Thunder get a buyout done. Dedmond is another possibility. That should help their interior defense and Trevor is still a solid versatile defender
Harden was also very inconsistent in his own way. BTW its not given rockets wont find or develop another harden or even a better player. Perhaps he s on the roster already. Anything is possible. Remember, nobody saw GSW coming. NOBODY. Yet here we are.
In addition to MDA being there. From a guard's perspective, think Harden may benefit from working with Steve Nash. Picking his brain from a PG perspective. KD saw Nash's value at GSW, and enough for the Nets to bounce Atkins to get Nash there. Parsing some of Harden's words at post game interview about guys at certain spots. And then in game, seeing him direct traffic (like in HOU). There are times on the court, that you can tell he wanted players to be at certain spots (better position to score). His turnovers were high. Forced some passes in traffic. In some cases, the players weren't expecting it. That may improve with familiarity. In case with Jeff Green, Harden and Green had a number of connections. potato quality Having KD, takes the offensive pressure off. Plus opposing team can't just trap Harden all day anymore.
I’d put Chris Paul’s hamstring and the referees in game 7 as 1a and 1b. Inflexibility is debatable but they were the best team in the NBA and one of the best offenses in history. It’s just incredibly unlikely that you’d miss 27 3’s. Ariza must have clanked 15 of them.
Unlikely, but it seems to happen quite often in important games. That’s when a smart team should have alternatives in their pocket instead of keep jacking them up. Smart we were not, and the historically great offence from the best team in the NBA became a laughingstock.
Harden, Durant, and Kyrie have a lot to sacrifice to make the best of their situation. They'll have to split 70 to 75 points and around 15 assists between them. With that reality in mind, I don't see how Harden gets 30 points or 10 assists. Which will probably disappoint some of you guys. I was surprised to see Kyrie survive the Harden trade. I just don't see Harden and Kyrie getting along on or off the court. Guess we'll see if Kyrie survives the trade deadline. Doubt anyone would trade for him. He would probably retire.
We didn’t quite often miss 27 3 pointers in elimination games. Sometimes players miss really well created shot opportunities. Regardless the Rockets weren’t a laughing stock, there was no team competing with the Warriors like they were.
I‘m sorry to tell you, but yes, those 27 missed 3s made us a laughingstock. Well, I myself couldn’t help but laugh watching that game. Just remembering that game hurts, especially when you love team ball like the Spurs did against the Heat. These MDA teams literally lived and died by the 3.
James Harden is the best player on the NETS. He was the one running and directing the offense and style and tone in just his first game with the team. That isn't taking anything away from KD, who is an amazing player and in the upper echelon of players in league history. I'll just put it this way, teams did not change their entire defensive systems to stop KD like they have Harden. Durant and Harden are an excellent match because neither is as uptight as Westbrook or Paul, and both have shown a willingness to give up the ball at times. Harden will make sure KD gets plenty of shots because their games mesh. The only real question I have is how they are going to handle when they either are slowed down by a team like the Lakers or if things are not going their way. For years LeBron did not handle it well either, until he won a title and since then has had a confidence to drag his teams in the right direction.... I cannot say Harden or KD have done that. Harden and KD both have improved in the clutch and in important spots, so I am less concerned about the actual "on the court" stuff but more concerned how they handle adversity off the court.
The odds of the Rockets developing a player better than James Harden in the next 10 years is exceedingly low...... sure the next Kareem Abdul Jabbar or LeBron James could emerge, and the Rockets could just happen to have the pick to draft him......... but it is EXTREMELY unlikely.
What about the fans who hoped Harden would fail while he was actually on the Rockets and found glee in his struggles?
Harden is such a lazy, culture sucking leach that both his former coach and former GM was willing to trade the farm for him. Let's not forget how Durant and Westbrook also wanted to play with him again.
