SI: After Game 3 loss, onus on Harden to show some fight

We should not care about Harden 24/7, he does not think about the Rox 24/7, why should we?

This love and hate tirade is a bit too much.

 

Look, until Harden leads the Rockets to a title, Game 6 will always hover over him like a dark cloud. Has that cloud dissipated somewhat this season thanks to the 65 wins, MVP season, and appearance in the Western Conference Finals? Sure it has. But he's never gonna stop hearing about it until he wins a championship. The same way LeBron was constantly criticized for quitting on the Cavs in that Celtics series before bolting for Miami. He heard about it for 2 years until he finally won his first title. Shaq was derided for years for always getting swept in the postseason. Then he and Kobe won it all in 2000 and everyone shut the hell up.

Harden is in the same boat. He has some very ugly playoff failures on his resume(the 2012 Finals against the Heat, the Lillard 3-pointer in 2014, the turnover in Game 2 in the 2015 WCF, the record turnover Game 5 that same series, the Curry-less Warriors kicking the Rockets' ass in 2016, Games 5 and 6 vs the Spurs in 2017). It's not that his team was the favorite in any of those matchups(aside from the Blazers in 2014), but the way he underperformed in the most important moments will not be forgotten until he breaks through in the playoffs and gets the Rockets over the hump.

 

THIS is reality. Unfortunately, he is not alone. Ryno has completely checked out. Moute is in La La land. Gordan has had one good playoff game. Ariza hasn't been a world beater. Tucker can't get the ball. Capela has been marginalized in the GS series, and who is coming off the bench? Green has returned to his spastic self. During the entire playoffs, the Rockets have flashed mid-season form ONCE. How many "great" games has Paul had in the playoffs? Frankly, I am really discouraged. I was so hopeful, but now the question is, do I believe in miracles?

 

It is what it is

Harden just has to win and shut u everyone once and for all

 

Performances like game 3 are why we question Harden's playoff effort. You're coming off a HUGE win in Houston, you know you're going into a dogfight in GS, yet you come out lethargic on defense and get embarrassed. Your leader can't pick & choose when he wants to fight. Harden chooses the wrong games to sleepwalk through

 

Agreed. We can accept losses but you have to lose with some dignity. Go down swinging, not with your tail between your legs. If you give up you risk your own fans being more irritated with you than with the enemy.

 

You know, we can sit here and demand 35 point games like they're easy or like he hasn't done it all season, several times this post season. Seems like when the rest of the team got into the act, they won handily. So we can act like that didn't happen too. We can act like CP3 has had a big game this series too. Nah, let's just rehash a short-sighted complaint because it's easier than having a stronger take.

I'd like to see some literal fight out of the Rockets. Because GSW isn't going to lose the series without ONE scurfuffle. Draymond has swung twice and this nice guy baloney isn't working. Kick the bully's ass, that's how you get rid of a bully. Quit asking him to stop hounding you, geez. UH DRAYMOND, PLEASE LEAVE JAMES AND TREVOR ALONE THEY DON'T WANT TO PLAY LIKE THAT!

They gave Ariza a T for shrugging DG's hand off. After DG tackled the man. You're gonna get one no matter what you do, so, make it count.

 

The thing is...it doesn't matter when he's playing the greatest team ever. The deck is stacked against the Rockets and Harden. Any other player/team would get a pass for losing to this Warriors team because they are simply far better. Harden and the Rockets do not, however.

Harden has showed up in plenty of important playoff games. Nobody remembers those, though, because it's more fun to rip Harden that accurately analyze him.

But you're right...the narrative must go on!

 

Man, it's not caring about Harden 24/7. It's caring about the ROCKETS 24/7! We're on a Rockets fan site that has consumed our attention damn near all day cause we as fans care so damn much.

It's not about him but he's the leader, the MVP and the catalyst to all things that go on the team. That's why he gets called out. Everything he does is magnified by every fan and observers eyes. The criticism is fair and some need to quit being so Homer and realise it.

Scottie quitten was right in his assessment of Harden when things got tough and didn't go his way. Hell, he should know these things, he's a master of it that speaks from experience.

 

I don't know. I think Harden does have a Monkey on his back. BUT. I think he is the kind of player that if he can manage a monster game in a pressure situation LOOK OUT..

 

It's what they always say though.

You are a choker until you aren't.

Every great player gets this title until they get a title.

I think in the end, if the league ended this year, Harden's legacy would still be alright. He'd go on the list of guys like Barkley, Iverson, Stockton/Malone to never win a ring despite being an all-time great.

I don't really get the legacy thing, that Harden's legacy can drop...he's done everything BUT win a championship at this point in his career, so the rest of his career he's playing for that. Nothing to lose. That's how he should see it. No matter what he's going down as one of the best scorers and guards in NBA history.

100% because as you said, he's had great playoff games, they get forgotten. He has to win the series for them to be remembered.

If James Harden comes out, dominates, and wins this game...I'm not sure it means much to people if the Rockets just go on and lose this series. The championship is what matters, or should.

 

Did he show up in most of that Blazers series? No. Did he show up in Game 6 vs the Clippers in 2015? No, he was benched in favor of Corey Brewer. Did he show up in Game 5 vs the Warriors in 2015? No. Did he show up Game 4 vs the Thunder in 2017? No, Nene bailed his ass out in that one. Did he show up late in Game 5 or for any of Game 6 vs the Spurs in 2017? No, and his team lost to an opponent that was missing Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker.

Harden's had plenty of great playoff performances. But it seems like in the key, must win situations, he either melts down or doesn't even show up to begin with. Well here we are in another must win game for the Rockets. How will Harden respond?

 

You just proved my point. Only bringing up the bad games, with not a care in the world for the ones he was great in. Thank you.

Harden's laid plenty of eggs. No doubt about it. But so have plenty of others, who receive a fraction of the criticism. I get tired of hearing him get criticized for the same things other stars do and get passes for. Hell...if/when we lose this series, there will be dozens of threads yelling "TRADE HARDEN!" for guys that are obviously less talented and less accomplished, just like there is every year. It's dumb.

 

But what determines a must win?

To me, game 1 was a must win. A should have won. We should be up 2-1 but everyone else did not show up. Harden did though, Harden played fantastic and it just happened to be in that game that no one else showed up to play.

I think every game in the playoffs is a must win. To me Game 1 is as much as a must win as this Game 4 is.

 

For all the "media people hate on the Rockets" crowd, how about Harden play some legit defense and not lead his team to an NBA record worst 41 point loss. He may not want to be the leader of this team, but he is whether he likes it or not. He needs to do more than just show up for the game. It's time to shelve the nonchalant attitude and play like there is a championship at stake, because that is exactly what is at stake.

 

Until Harden actually makes it to the Finals as the leader of a team, he doesn't belong in the same sentence as any of those guys.

 

Wasn't Dirk thought out to be a choker until he lead his Mavs team to a championship? Harden has one way to repair his somewhat shaky playoff rep --- win it all.

I said it a while ago Harden was already the second greatest Rockets ever, but there is quite a gap between him and Hakeem. The latter elevated his game in the playoffs and more importantly, with consistency. Harden, for all his considerable bb skills, is still inconsistent.

 

Harden did make it to the finals though? In fact, his play was a big reason his team made it to the finals...

 

i agree with you but @vlaurelio probably does not.

 

You don't think other players get a sh-tload of criticism for their playoff failures? Lowry and DeRozan have. Dwight Howard has. Westbrook has(well, outside of his buttsniffing fans over at ESPN). LaMarcus Aldridge has. CP3 has. The reason it seems more intense with Harden(aside from us following his career more closely than other NBA stars) is that he's one of the top 5 players in the league. He's been runner up in the MVP race 2 of the last 4 years and is almost certain to win it this season. Thus there's a bigger spotlight on him and a lot more pressure.

I've actually cut Harden a lot of slack regarding his playoff shortcomings. I've pointed out repeatedly that the Rockets were never the favorites in any of the series they were ultimately eliminated in with the lone exception of 2014 against Portland and even that was a toss-up with the Blazers having an identical regular season record. But at the same time, there is a disturbing pattern of Harden shrinking when his team needs him to come up big. That needs to change or else the criticisms toward him will only intensify.