Why I think Harden hasn't been performing

[13th Man]

First of all, in game 1 it became apparent quickly that the refs weren't going to give him his usual fouls driving into the lane. Secondly, Stotts formulated a game plan to exploit his defensive abilities, in that any player that was being guarded by Harden would go right at him knowing that he was a bit more agile defensively than a pylon. I don't recall this being done to him in the regular season, at least not this blatantly. Everybody knows that defense is not his strong suit but to be exploited like this on a national stage in every game can be demoralizing. Thirdly, they focused intensely on him with good defenders in Matthews and Batum. Then you have the media and weirdo reporters getting on his case after a loss. I bet he feels that everybody is against him and was not quite prepared for this.

You can't blame Portland for zero'ing in on Harden this series but I don't think he was expecting to be taken out of his realm from all angles. He's looked defeated and disheartened through most of the series, I do feel a bit bad for him because his game has been affected most out of anyone on the team. I also think that because of his ineffectiveness, this has allowed for other players like Howard and tonight Lin to step up big as well.

Hopefully the pendulum will swing back in Harden's favor now that the Blazers realize that they cannot focus their attention strictly on him. Game 6 would be a great time for this to happen and I have a good feeling about this possibility.

[Maudlin17]

Like a lot of players that experience a lot of success early in their careers, Harden's game has not evolved. He's been doing the same friggin jab step combo routine since he's been in the league. I'd love for him to develop of a mid range game....learn how to utilize screens properly..maybe even a post up game. If he doesn't develop something...he's gonna have a lot more 34% shooting nights/series.

[ChokeFasncists]

Obviously, McHale's fault. Let's say, if the opposing team is scheming successfully against Manu, Ray Allen, Kobe, Reggie, PP etc, their coaches would counter that with something else, draw and kick, multiple picks, cuts, PnR etc. Not McHale, just keep trying ISO. PnR with D12 worked a little bit and then? They had the opportunity to do something lethal with Lin and Harden, like Vasquez and Lowry, Thomas and Dumars or Dragic and Bledsoe. None of that, just the same predictable lazy stuff, low percentage, easy to stop and doesn't work in the playoffs because the game isn't called the same way. Same with defense, too spoiled for two years. Didn't he play decent D in OKC? McHale has been just trying to get some regular season wins and some approval from the stars, not building a playoff run or a championship team.

On the other hand, let's not forget that Harden is averaging 25 points in the playoffs, the same as his average in the regular season, just with a much lower percentage. It is not possible to pamper him in the playoffs because the team would lose easily, but it's also unrealistic to expect him to suddenly turn into a mature player or even the player coached by Scott Brooks.

I'm not gonna feel bad for him because he is the star, he wants the spotlight and he wants max money; he wants the ball and wants to score. Then he's gotta deal with the attention by the opposing defense, and has to come through at the end for the team. I do hope he will bounce back, but only by playing D and team O rather get hot and lucky for a scoring streak. He would have to be a real quick learner because his teammates are so used to watching and haven't developed much chemistry setting him up.

[texasholdem]

He's not driving to the basket very much. I don't even remember a single Euro step in this series.

[panarama]

He's not driving to the basket very much. I don't even remember a single Euro step in this series.

It's the playoffs, opposing teams with a decent defense will send euro steps back to europe real quick.
Unless, we can create a fast break yet we need a solid defense game for that to happen.
But I know what you mean, Harden really needs to diversify his offense shooting touch rather than resorting to ISO three.

[quatin]

There's no mystery here. This is what James Harden looks like if he doesn't get his foul calls. He's been shooting mid-range jumpers and 3s the entire series. He still has the scoring capability, but at a much lower efficiency, because "surprise!" they took away his most efficient shot.

I'm not opposed to this type of referring, I would prefer they do this in the regular season. Durant, Harden and Wade abuse the touch fouls for free throws. It's a cheap play. Go for the basket, not for the foul.

However, my biggest concern is his lack of effort. Everyone started slow in game 1 except for Beverly. However, Harden has yet to get his motor going. People speculated his defense would improve in the playoffs, but I'm still waiting for it to happen. If you can't create shots, you can at least run the floor, play defense, make hustle plays, set picks and generally what Beverly does. You can't just stand still in the corner until the ball comes your way.

[Zubby]

Obviously, McHale's fault. Let's say, if the opposing team is scheming successfully against Manu, Ray Allen, Kobe, Reggie, PP etc, their coaches would counter that with something else, draw and kick, multiple picks, cuts, PnR etc. Not McHale, just keep trying ISO. PnR with D12 worked a little bit and then?

Kobe? What what adjustments/plays did Phil ever make when teams were "scheming" for Kobe? Phil didn't run any plays! I don't remember any adjustments he made when Shane Battier was forcing Kobe into bad shots back in '09.
Pop didn't make any adjustments when he rode Manu to failure last year, Manu should of been on the bench with his **** play. PP is like 90% iso, late in game give it to Paul and gtfo. Harden just isn't ready yet

McHale isn't playing 2k14, he doesn't control the players every move and you know he isn't calling iso. The team isn't smart enough to play execute McHale's system for 48min. They lose focus. They all need time, hell everyone is talk about how great Stotts is but that guy has been trash everywhere else he has been. This is his first winning season, McHale never had a losing season with Houston. The only problem with waiting is Dwight is ready now, and i'd hate to see this team waste that.


Harden always gets this bounce in his leg similar to what u get while rock climbing. As if he is tired, whenever you get those spasms its like you're body wont respond to you're brain. Being tired isn't an excuse but maybe its the reason he isn't driving as much. Also gotta give credit to Wes Matthews he has been give Harden fits for the past two years, the only other guy I can think of who cause Harden more trouble is Iggy.

They had the opportunity to do something lethal with Lin and Harden, like Vasquez and Lowry, Thomas and Dumars or Dragic and Bledsoe. None of that, just the same predictable lazy stuff, low percentage, easy to stop and doesn't work in the playoffs because the game isn't called the same way. Same with defense, too spoiled for two years. Didn't he play decent D in OKC? McHale has been just trying to get some regular season wins and some approval from the stars, not building a playoff run or a championship team.

Lowry & Dragic together worked for McHale, both can play off ball and are heady players, Lin & Harden not so much.

[BaYBaller]

It's not that hard to see. It's a combination of:
1) Wes Matthews playing good physical D on Harden
2) POR is basically 100% focused on preventing Harden from getting into the lane with sagging bigs and guards crowding driving lanes
3) He's just missing shots. He's getting good looks on mid range and 3s.

The reason Troy has even gotten playing time is due to our struggles on the 3pt line. POR is daring us to shoot the 3 with how they defending us this series. You absolutely need a knock down shooter opposite Harden to take advantage of his strengths of getting in the lane.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using RealGM Forums mobile app

[ChokeFasncists]

Obviously, McHale's fault. Let's say, if the opposing team is scheming successfully against Manu, Ray Allen, Kobe, Reggie, PP etc, their coaches would counter that with something else, draw and kick, multiple picks, cuts, PnR etc. Not McHale, just keep trying ISO. PnR with D12 worked a little bit and then?

Kobe? What what adjustments/plays did Phil ever make when teams were "scheming" for Kobe? Phil didn't run any plays! I don't remember any adjustments he made when Shane Battier was forcing Kobe into bad shots back in '09.

Well, Kobe had Tex. The triangle was designed to get player good shots. He just had to not force anything bad and wait a bit. Well, it was good enough for them to win the ship, and Kobe shot 45% in that series. *EDIT: One more thing, straight up one on one isn't really scheming, it's just good defense.

Pop didn't make any adjustments when he rode Manu to failure last year, Manu should of been on the bench with his **** play.

He played horribly last year, but it wasn't because of other team's scheming, it was more because of old age and not being in his top form. If he played like that in his prime Pop wasn't doing his job well.

PP is like 90% iso, late in game give it to Paul and gtfo. Harden just isn't ready yet

Late in game ya, but not during the game which was the topic. KG, Walker, Rondo, Kenny Anderson; there was always someone helping him out with plays/passing/picks etc. It was unfortunate but after Thibs was gone it was worse.

McHale isn't playing 2k14, he doesn't control the players every move and you know he isn't calling iso. The team isn't smart enough to play execute McHale's system for 48min. They lose focus. They all need time, hell everyone is talk about how great Stotts is but that guy has been trash everywhere else he has been. This is his first winning season, McHale never had a losing season with Houston. The only problem with waiting is Dwight is ready now, and i'd hate to see this team waste that.

Well, Stotts has apparently improved while working as an assistant under Carlisle, you can call that championship experience, maybe that will benefit McHale too. McHale is indeed not a bad coach for the regular season. If you want to have a good season and then flame out soon in the playoffs, he's your man. Coach has to adapt to the players unless it's a very unique situation, if the players aren't smart, do something simpler. On the other hand, Lin and Harden did just fine for MDA and Brooks. No one called them dumb back then.

Harden always gets this bounce in his leg similar to what u get while rock climbing. As if he is tired, whenever you get those spasms its like you're body wont respond to you're brain. Being tired isn't an excuse but maybe its the reason he isn't driving as much. Also gotta give credit to Wes Matthews he has been give Harden fits for the past two years, the only other guy I can think of who cause Harden more trouble is Iggy.

This is unfortunately also the coach's fault. First of all, he asks the team to run-run-run, secondly, he plays the starters too many minutes, worse of all, he gives way too much responsibility offensively to Harden. No wonder he's tired. Matthews sure should get credit for his work.

They had the opportunity to do something lethal with Lin and Harden, like Vasquez and Lowry, Thomas and Dumars or Dragic and Bledsoe. None of that, just the same predictable lazy stuff, low percentage, easy to stop and doesn't work in the playoffs because the game isn't called the same way. Same with defense, too spoiled for two years. Didn't he play decent D in OKC? McHale has been just trying to get some regular season wins and some approval from the stars, not building a playoff run or a championship team.

Lowry & Dragic together worked for McHale, both can play off ball and are heady players, Lin & Harden not so much.

I was talkin about the guards starting together and flourishing, didn't happen in Houston for those two guys. Again, both Lin and Harden didn't have a problem in terms of headiness. Lin plays OK off the ball and I'm pretty sure Harden can with the right environment.

[kinein]

It's not that hard to see. It's a combination of:
1) Wes Matthews playing good physical D on Harden
2) POR is basically 100% focused on preventing Harden from getting into the lane with sagging bigs and guards crowding driving lanes
3) He's just missing shots. He's getting good looks on mid range and 3s.

The reason Troy has even gotten playing time is due to our struggles on the 3pt line. POR is daring us to shoot the 3 with how they defending us this series. You absolutely need a knock down shooter opposite Harden to take advantage of his strengths of getting in the lane.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using RealGM Forums mobile app

Harden is arguably top 3 best shooting guard in the league. He has been scouted to the nth degree. He can't drive to the hole and take it against LMA, Lopez, and Batum.

He doesn't have the size like LMA nor post-game to put himself into a situation where he is unblockable. The ball has to move. 5 Games now give you a solid sample of what the playoffs will be like for the remainder of this season.

The ball must move. ISO-Ball won't win a finals.

The other stars must step up. Howard is doing a great job doing just that, but Parsons and Lin must also start putting in the numbers they were putting down earlier this season.

[rocketsballin]

its been too long...

harden hasn't been performing well because he needs performance enhancers

[baki]

It's simple really,

- He's playing against better defensive teams now that it's the playoffs
- Those teams already know that he has 2 moves, drives to the basket or 3 pointers
- Matthews is playing great as a defensive player because he trust his teammates (and they trust him)
- Portland has a good coach behind Stotts who helped the Mavericks win their championship as assistant coach

Portland is playing very well, they're communicating and they make the kind of adjustments that confuses the s&'$# out of McHale . Houston's offensive on the other hand grinds to a halt when they have to set up Harden or Howard for ISO plays, they are so much better running the floor and passing the ball around, 2 things of which neither Harden or Howard are particularly good at.

I've been reading about the excuses for Harden (particularly on the other fanboy site) and there's nothing there to convince me that Harden is the superstar that everyone makes him out to be. At first I thought he was just being lazy on defense during the pre-season because he wanted to save his energy for later in the game but his body language tells me that he doesn't want to be in Houston and would probably rather go back to OKC.

[Hank7]

Wes Mathews.

[tonman]

Wes Mathews.

actually, Wes Matthews' offense.

[ChokeFasncists]

Insider's got this on the topic:


What's wrong with James Harden?
Breaking down Harden's postseason shortcomings, offering solutions


On Thursday, Kevin Durant stepped up. Now it's time for his former teammate to follow suit. Thanks to Durant's big Game 6, James Harden of the Houston Rockets is now the biggest playoff disappointment this side of Roy Hibbert.

While Harden's defensive shortcomings have been well documented, he was supposed to make up for them at the other end. With the Portland Trail Blazers contesting his every move, Harden has been unable to do that during this series, which the Blazers will try to close out at home in tonight's Game 6.

How has Portland done it? And how can Harden and Houston respond to try to keep their season alive? Let's take a look.


Keeping Harden out of the paint

First and foremost, the Blazers have achieved their goal of denying Harden easy opportunities. During the regular season, 30.6 percent of his shot attempts came in the restricted area, according to NBA.com/Stats. That figure has dropped by a third in the playoffs to 20.5 percent -- a difference of between two and three shots close to the basket per game.


Keeping Harden away from the hoop starts in transition. Per Synergy Sports, transition opportunities were the single biggest source of Harden's shots during the regular season, accounting for more than a quarter of his attempts. In this series, that's down to 15 percent, depriving Harden of his most efficient opportunities.

The next piece of the puzzle is on-ball defense from Wesley Matthews, with assistance from Nicolas Batum. Both players have aggressively denied Harden the ball and done a good job of keeping him in front of them defensively. Matthews' strength has been particularly effective in this matchup.

Still, it's impossible for a single defender to contain Harden, and the Blazers' big men have been conscious of where he is at all times, leaving them ready to provide help defense. Harden has had 8.6 percent of his shot attempts blocked in this series, as compared to 5.0 percent during the regular season.


Keeping Harden off the line

In addition to preventing Harden from getting easy attempts around the basket, Portland has taken away his easiest attempts of all -- free throws. During the regular season, Harden attempted .552 free throws for every field goal attempt. That has declined to a .322 free throw rate in this series.

Intriguingly, Harden is still drawing fouls just as often overall. However, according to Synergy Sports, 41 percent of the fouls he has drawn in this series have been shooting fouls, compared to 64 percent during the regular season.

While Harden has baited Matthews into a few shooting fouls -- particularly in Game 1, when he drew five of his 13 shooting fouls in this series -- the Blazers have done an excellent job of staying down on Harden's fakes and avoiding his rip-through move. Harden has mostly gotten to the line in fast-break situations, where Portland has little choice but to foul.


Frustration attempts

Beyond what the Blazers' defense has done, Harden has contributed to his own problems with poor shot selection. Too often, he has gotten frustrated with his inability to get to the paint and has settled for contested shots from midrange -- exactly what the Rockets want to avoid. This pull-up attempt against Batum with plenty of time remaining on the shot clock is typical of Harden's frustration attempts:



Synergy Sports Technologies
HARDEN SHOT SELECTION
Location 2013-14 Playoffs
Restricted Area .306 .205
Other Paint .108 .120
Midrange .186 .274
3-Pointers .400 .402

Though Harden has settled for some contested 3s as well, the biggest difference between his shot selection in the regular season and during the playoffs so far is 2-point attempts outside the paint.

About one-sixth of the difference between Harden's true shooting percentage during the regular season (.618) and in this series (.471) is attributable to his shot distribution. Another sixth is explained by his free throw attempts being down. The rest can be credited to Harden shooting lower percentages at the rim (41.7 percent vs. 61.4 percent) and from 3-point range (25.0 percent vs. 36.6 percent).


Solutions

At the risk of restating the obvious, a good option to get Harden going is utilizing him in pick-and-rolls with Dwight Howard. After experiencing success with the two-man game featuring All-Stars in Portland, Houston went away from it somewhat during Game 5. Synergy tracked just three Harden-Howard pick-and-rolls that generated shot attempts. Because of the respect Portland must pay the threat of Howard rolling to the rim, Harden has been most successful at getting into the paint with Howard as the screener.

Harden also has to be more decisive. While his patient, deliberate style has served him well in his career -- especially in terms of drawing fouls -- it's not working against an opponent that has him scouted well. Harden has been at his best when he has attacked aggressively while staying under control, as on the reverse layup he made with four minutes left in Game 5 as part of a run that secured the victory.

Because Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons both stepped up to score 20-plus points, the Rockets were able to win on Wednesday with Harden making just five of his 15 shot attempts. Facing a hostile crowd tonight in Portland, the Rockets will surely need more from Harden to force a Game 7.

[J the Drafter]

Keeping in mind that I've seen very little of the Rockets (about five to eight minutes of game 3 and the final minute-and-a-half or game 6) but isn't Harden's biggest strength his pick-and-roll play? I remember some commentators saying that when James was still on the Thunder.

[ChokeFasncists]

Keeping in mind that I've seen very little of the Rockets (about five to eight minutes of game 3 and the final minute-and-a-half or game 6) but isn't Harden's biggest strength his pick-and-roll play? I remember some commentators saying that when James was still on the Thunder.

Apparently Dwight fashions himself strictly a back to the basket guy and doesn't want PnR and the coach is spoiling him.

[ChokeFasncists]

Another relevant article:

What Happened to the NBA's Great Shooting Guards?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1962 ... ing-guards

There were 14 All-Stars who stood 6’8” or taller—forwards and centers, scorers and bruisers. There were six point guards, all skilled scoring machines. But with Kobe Bryant injured, there were just four All-Stars who self-identify as shooting guards: James Harden, Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson and DeMar DeRozan.

Of that foursome, only Harden, the Houston Rockets’ bearded wonder, was a clear-cut choice. Wade and Johnson are in decline. DeRozan earned his ticket by default.

“Really, Harden’s the only true 2-guard that’s in the West,” Barry said. “And in the East, it’s just like, nobody.”



At the All-Star break this season, just four shooting guards ranked in the top 25: Harden, DeRozan, Arron Afflalo and Monta Ellis. Kevin Martin fell just outside the top 25, ranking 27th in the league in points per game. There isn’t a surefire Hall of Famer in the bunch.

In 1997-98, Jordan was the NBA’s No. 1 scorer, with Richmond fifth and Iverson ninth. This season, Harden is tied for seventh.

In 1997-98, eight shooting guards averaged at least 19.5 points a game. This season, there are two.

Two of the all-time greats, Bryant and Wade, are still around, but they might not reach an elite level again.

The league is now dominated by powerful small forwards (Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George), skilled big men (Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge) and potent point guards (Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving).



The search for answers starts with the NBA’s rule changes over the last 15 years.

In 2001, the NBA abolished its illegal defense rules, which forced defenders to stay with their man virtually at all times. That rule made it easy to run “clear-outs,” with eight players standing on one side of the court, and one star scorer—usually, a quick-footed shooting guard—isolating against his defender and taking him off the dribble.

Eliminating illegal defense meant eliminating isolation chances, which meant eliminating a specialty of the old-school shooting guard.

“I think there’s some validity to that,” said Kerr.

Today’s game is now driven heavily by the pick-and-roll, which usually involves a highly skilled point guard who can shoot and drive, and a big man who can hit a mid-range jumper or finish at the rim after setting a screen. It is no coincidence that Harden, currently the highest-scoring off-guard in the league, is also a great pick-and-roll player.

“The majority of the game is pick-and-roll or transition now,” said Sam Presti, the general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder. “That’s generally happening with a point guard and a big. Those are possessions that are getting cut out (from the shooting guard’s opportunities). ... A lot of those guys were isolation guys.”

This could explain why Harden has to play point guard, but since he really isn't one, would have trouble when defense zero in on him. Lillard is missing from the point guard list BTW.

[J the Drafter]

Keeping in mind that I've seen very little of the Rockets (about five to eight minutes of game 3 and the final minute-and-a-half or game 6) but isn't Harden's biggest strength his pick-and-roll play? I remember some commentators saying that when James was still on the Thunder.

Apparently Dwight fashions himself strictly a back to the basket guy and doesn't want PnR and the coach is spoiling him.

Source?

[ChokeFasncists]

Keeping in mind that I've seen very little of the Rockets (about five to eight minutes of game 3 and the final minute-and-a-half or game 6) but isn't Harden's biggest strength his pick-and-roll play? I remember some commentators saying that when James was still on the Thunder.

Apparently Dwight fashions himself strictly a back to the basket guy and doesn't want PnR and the coach is spoiling him.

Source?

http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/20 ... -his-role/