Open letter to James: The first step to playing at a 'high level' is Denial

Open letter to James: The first stage in 'playoff recovery' is 'overcoming denial'

This is what we need to Blazers to be saying about Harden: "He's doing it at a high level. He's making tough shots. He's getting to the foul line. He's doing the whole package. He's tough for us. We gotta figure something out... soon."


Instead, that's what Harden is saying about Aldridge.

Harden, the first step to any recovery is denial, and that means admitting that you've been hurting more than helping the team in the first two games, and not playing at a high level, making tough shots, getting to the foul line, bringing the whole package, and making it tough on the Blazers where they can't figure you out.

Aldridge scored 46 and 43. You've scored half that and shot 8-28 and 6-19 for a team with an offense designed around you. It's not a slam, it's a fact.

Every player has a bad game, but to blame your own teammates for 'not making stops', 'we gotta make stops', 'it's all about making stops', to that I have to say, you're the one guy who has to 'stop', as in stop denying that you're not playing at a high level, or that your current level of play is directly correlated to being 0-2. Two makes instead of two misses, and the Rockets would be 2-0. It's not just making stops.

Instead, own up to the fact that you're not playing at a high level and believe in yourself to play at a high level and PWN the Blazers, because that's what championship players do. If you honestly can't admit that you're not playing at a high level now, as in, "I'm ALWAYS playing at a high level, sometimes the shots go in, sometimes they don't", I'm sorry but no one will agree that that's playing at a high level, not 6-19, no.

The worst part is, if you already believe you're not playing at a low level, that it's your teammates' collective fault for not getting stops on Aldridge, then there's no mental capacity to take your game to a higher level, and that pretty much showed between Game 1 and 2.

I love you James, I just want to see you swallow some of that pride and out-beast Aldridge, and become the Blazers nightmare you were meant to be.

 

The title should read, 'The first step to 'playoff recovery' is 'denial'. Couldn't change it for some reason. As in, admitting you're in denial.

Shooting 8-28 and 6-19 isn't the coach's fault. Believing it's all the coach's fault is denial. You may as well give up now then, because McHale isn't going to become a better coach in two days. However, Harden can definitely play better in two days, but you can't play better if you already think you're at your best, which is what Harden seems to keep telling the media - I can't play any better than I am, sometimes the shots fall, sometimes the shots don't, it's the defense that has to 'make stops'. Something tells me Jordan, or even Aldridge, wouldn't settle for an answer like that.

Seriously, I couldn't believe he was saying this in the post-game interview.

 

The point is, if he doesn't think he needs to up his game, then he can't.

I would LOVE to see a split screen to see what Aldridge does to prepare for the game mentally, and what Harden does.

It's not like the mind doesn't need as much training as the body does, and champions will probably tell you mentally it takes more.

Bo Porter just told his reliever (Josh Fields) that he wasn't coming into the game mentally prepared, that his bullpen sessions looked like he was playing toss versus pretending like he was actually pitching to batters. Fields changed his approach, and didn't allow a run in the next four outings, though who knows where his mind was at last night.

I'm telling you, Harden does not sound like a guy that's ready to be a leader and a champion. Hopefully that changes in 24 hours.

Ask any great leader, and they'll take the blame when things are bad, and share the praise when things are good, not the opposite, as Harden is communicating in the playoffs.

 

Exactly what this thread is about: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=253489

Nate Fitch, best known as Johnny Manziel’s close friend and business manager, is well connected and tweeted this after Game 2:

"Someone at the game tonight with a lot of credibility told me Harden was partying hard all weekend. Selfish."


Dangit that I can't change the thread title to "The first step to 'playoff recovery' is 'overcoming denial'"