PLAYOFF HARDEN

[Iwasawitness]

Playoff Harden strikes again!

[MrGoat]

This is the difference between Harden and Luka. This thread was started because Luka put up a 29-10-10 with a team leading +10 and he was getting piled on for that performance. Harden just put up 7 points with a team worst -25. Luka scored 9 4th quarter points in the game he was getting blasted for, more than Harden scored in all 4 quarters tonight.

[JDR720]

Read on Twitter

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[Hatrick Ewing]

Maybe they could get an expiring for him.

[SerialChiller]

He's still a bum...the bad Harden is waiting just around the corner like always.

[NoStatsGuy]

good ol james

[Handlez]

Luka still hasn’t surpassed peak Harden man. He just hasn’t

You seriously think a healthy Luka would ever do what Harden did tonight in a must win?

[Handlez]

Harden’s actual playoff stats aren’t that bad broken down into averages. And in some series he's actually been great, full stop, which helps his playoff averages.

But it’s always been about his high profile no-shows in big games. Take Boston last year as the most recent example: 22-6-8 on good efficiency. But he had only 22 points COMBINED in games 6 and 7.

This is a constant throughline in his career.

but he's also showed up in high profile games.

most players have had duds in important games. look at curry in game 7 of the 2016 finals or game 7 vs LAL last year. yeah harden gave up vs the spurs in game 6 a while on the rockets which was a bad look but that team wasn't going anywhere that year anyway. and yeah shooting 20-something % isn't excusable but that's later in his career when he's no longer the primary option. you don't get to a game 7 of WCFs as the best player (vs KD's warriors no-less) and not be a playoff performer. you don't get to a WCF where trevor ariza is ur 2nd best scorer and not be a playoff performer

it's a lazy narrative. there are players that consistently shrink in the playoffs and harden isn't one of them.

Harden has had a lot of them though.

Tonight was his 69th playoff game where he shot under 40%.

He’s guard Karl Malone. He has some big playoff games but ultimately you know he’s going to come up short.

Why disrespect Karl?

He got to two finals and simply lost to the GOAT.

Would much rather have Karl Malone.

[KGtabake]

but he's also showed up in high profile games.

most players have had duds in important games. look at curry in game 7 of the 2016 finals or game 7 vs LAL last year. yeah harden gave up vs the spurs in game 6 a while on the rockets which was a bad look but that team wasn't going anywhere that year anyway. and yeah shooting 20-something % isn't excusable but that's later in his career when he's no longer the primary option. you don't get to a game 7 of WCFs as the best player (vs KD's warriors no-less) and not be a playoff performer. you don't get to a WCF where trevor ariza is ur 2nd best scorer and not be a playoff performer

it's a lazy narrative. there are players that consistently shrink in the playoffs and harden isn't one of them.

Harden has had a lot of them though.

Tonight was his 69th playoff game where he shot under 40%.

He’s guard Karl Malone. He has some big playoff games but ultimately you know he’s going to come up short.

Why disrespect Karl?

He got to two finals and simply lost to the GOAT.

Would much rather have Karl Malone.

Yes. No comparison basically.
Karl Malone would have been a champion if Jordan wasn't playing.
He repeatedly eliminated Robinson, Barkley, Olajuwon, Shaq(early Lakers stint) etc.
Malone is way higher and that's not for debate.

[svart]

You mean that one whole game in 2019 series vs the Rockets where KD wasn't healthy? Sick sample size bro

CP3 missed game 6, so did Durant. Same situation.

Rockets in 2018 without Paul were gonna beat the Warriors on game 7 until the ref show saved them

Yeah, harden was hunted by the refs his whole career.

But you are right, iirc the reffs missed 27 consecutive 3 pointers or something in that game. Or blocked them, not sure. Stfu.

[Deshaun Taden]

At his peak Harden would get you 3 wins in the first 5 and then stink it up in the elimination games.

This current version of washed harden can only get 2 good performances in the first 5, and then stinks in the rest of the games. He's going to be useless for G6 and G7. Either Kawhi comes back and saves them, or LAC is done, probably in 6.

[CodeBreaker]

dude gives more stinkers than greatness

[Wilfried]

This game was an important one

How did he do?

[lonzo_pelota]

Hopefully he gets a max extension this summer so he can perform like this for years to come in that shiny new arena.

[Ssj16]

This has been the Clippers chance all along, as it let them attack Jokic in the PnR, but with all their injuries I've basically lost faith in them being able to win.

Hahahahaha haha . You will never get off this hill of the magical P and R that's supposed to beat Denver.

[Ssj16]

Luka still hasn’t surpassed peak Harden man. He just hasn’t

How could anyone with a straight face make this comment? Eye test, stats and playoff performance would debunk this easily.

[Big_Aristotle]

Don't forget his brother Playoff P! 4/13 yesterday.

[Chokic]

Harden did this in Philly when Embiid was out. He wasn't allowed to do it IMO when Embiid was around.

Harden didn't allow himself to do it when Embiid was around.

[HotelVitale]

Yeah, this is who Harden is now, if he's drilling lots of tough stepbacks and runners he can feast. If he's not, he's going to be pretty brutal. That's why the Sixers were ready to move on from him--it's not that he was bad or not useful, just that he's not steady at all against good defenses and seems hopeless without his tough shots.

The Clippers should've been in a good position to absorb that, but without Kawhi being the steadier creator they can't afford Harden's stinkers and inconsistency.

[HotelVitale]

Don't forget his brother Playoff P! 4/13 yesterday.

15/11/4 (and 15 pts on 13 shots) is a poor game, Harden's 7/4/7 on 12 shots is something beyond that.