To keep it real, the media did say that Kawhi was a system player for a little bit. It happened. I remember it.
You're right, this narrative is especially annoying because it's so easy to debunk yet nobody counters. Harden under McHale and freakin' Bickerstaff : 29-6-8 Harden under MDA : - 31-5-9 Averaging two points and one assist more. Wow, what a difference. BTW, Harden was 26 when he put up 29-6-8 with possibly the worst coaching staff in the league. Is it even possible that Harden just got better as he entered his prime? Nah, can't be.
Lol seriously though... I dont understand why this guy is always slighted. He’s arguably had the greatest 4 to 5 year stretch of any player in the league. Dude has flat out put this team on his back playing with some major league scrub teammates until this year but still making playoff runs with videogame numbers... Now that hes finally got some talent around him and all he does is elevate his game to another level. What can u say other than haters gone hate...
None of these same mother****ers said that when Nash was winning back-to-back MVPs. **** these cowards.
MJ and Kobe only looked good cause of Phil Jackson thus Phil Jackson is the real GOAT not those other schmucks...You heard it hear first folks Media conspiracy continues, just when you think they are finally getting it together
and howbout Morey finally got Harden a 2nd superstar playmaker Cp3 instead of Pbev/LouWill just like KD had Curry and Lebron had Kyrie and upgraded Dekker and Harrell to LMM and Tucker
rewind back to 2012 what if Presti kept Harden instead and traded WB for pieces? or GSW, Lakers, Spurs, Boston, or even the Knicks etc... stepped to the plate and traded for Harden? will he still be hated?
I think this is the reason why Harden constantly gets underrated. Harden suffers from what I call 'Tim Duncan Syndrome.' For every top 5 player, there is a single description which succinctly captures their greatness. LeBron : physical freak + all-time playmaker Curry : best shooter ever KD & AD : 7 footers that shoot like guards Kawhi : best two-way player Westbrook : athleticism But what word comes to your mind when thinking about Harden's greatness? For a long time, it used to be that Harden is great at drawing fouls. I'm sorry, but this just doesn't cut it for many people. In fact, it's not even universally considered as a good thing. This season is different, but before Harden was a good shooter but not a great shooter. Was a great passer, but many people thought LeBron or CP3 was better. Athleticism wise, Harden is deceptively quick and strong, but it's not as glaringly obvious as real freaks out there. So what really made Harden great? As a Houston fan, I can easily answer this question (basically his all-around game), but for casual NBA fans outside of Houston, it seemed like Harden put up great numbers because of his free throws and if you take that away, well, he's not so great anymore (at least that was their perception.) Tim Duncan was kind of like this. Was he the best scorer? no. Was he the best rebounder or defender? KG was better. Was he super athletic? no. And when you watch his game, unless you are a devoted basketball fan, it can be a bit difficult to see why Duncan was so great. Or, it was not as obvious as why Shaq or Hakeem was great. That's why his nickname was "Mr.Fundamental". People quite couldn't put their fingers on Duncan's greatness, so came up with some term that explained his greatness. Duncan's elite defense also helped him a lot in terms of his overall reputation. Speaking of which, Harden's fundamentals are really sound too. The footwork, shooting mechanic, ability to read the defense, etc. Exceptionally great. When you dominate the game with pure skill without overt flashiness, most people don't notice you right away. But it all starts to change when you have few rings under your belt. Then you just become a 'winner.' No need to pass the eye-test, because he just wins.
This 1000x Facts should be obviously in any MDA-only debate, but it's never mentioned - like it never happened. Jordan didn't play in '95 either
I think this applies to hardens first two years here. The fouls that stopped plays were running in comparison to curry's unbelievable circus shots. Highlights choose curry while media complained that the rockets were ugly to watch. I like the point that the big stars have a thing that people have bought into but I disagree with the Duncan comparison. No one was going to drop 250 million shoe deal on multiple mvp/all star Duncan, but Adidas not only did that but made it a lifestyle contract to sell more than shoes. Blame Nike? Blame the uncharacteristic beard? All I know is that the only way he'll change more minds is to last longer in the playoffs
Playoffs is the key because winning changes everything. In terms of Duncan comparison, yes Harden is still more popular than Duncan despite all of this. I think it's mainly because Harden does have some real flashiness to his game, whereas Duncan was all about making simple, right plays. But I think the analogy is still correct in the sense that both are historically great players that on surface, it's not obvious why they are so great (to casual fans of course, not basketball junkies like me.)
Colin Cowherd has become the most obnoxious guy in Sports Television. Skip is a moron and I get it. But atleast hes consistent with his opinion and doesn't say "i like player x" before going on to **** on player x. Also, Skip actually watches Games. Cowherd doens't even watch NBA Games. This Lebron D!ck sucking from this guy is irritating. I've been taking a break from the Media for quite a while now and i regret coming back. Just quit watching that crap.
If he hadn't gotten hurt against OKC in the last 2 weeks of the regular season, he would have beaten Russ.