James Harden is a superstar

[MisterWestside]

Same story for Harden once again. Good game against a bad team. Still waiting for him to have a solid game against a good team.

Did I miss something here? Houston played Portland before, Portland won that game, and then you had THIS to say about it:

Harden had an awful shooting night against Portland because they have athletic, lanky wings who can alter his shots. Batum was over Harden all night and that lead him to shoot 8 for 24. When Harden goes up against the taller more athletic wings like Batum and Marion he will have some issues.

So now Harden plays well against those same defenders, and now he just had a "good game against a bad team"?

Give him some credit for once, hmm?

[Krodis]

It was completely absurd at the time too, because Harden mostly struggled that game because he was totally exhausted and started missing easy layups.

[JordansBulls]

He had a decent enough game against Miami, dumb hero ball possessions at the end aside. (And even those were contrasted by a pair of good assists on threes right beforehand)

He does get the Lakers on Sunday though.

This. Also note that the two games he was not so good he had Iggy and Tony Allen on him.

[tsherkin]

So, just a point of reference:

8/18 FG, 2/4 3P, 11/12 FT, 6 boards, 6 assists, 3 steals. 4 turnovers and 4 fouls.

That's a really good game. Subbed into the game with about 6:45 to go in the 4th. Comes in, hits a close bucket. Misses a layup. Defensive board, hits a pair of FTs. Loses it to Lillard, sticks a three, then assists on Morris' three with 10 seconds to go in the quarter for the tie. 2/3 FG, 1/1 3P, 2/2 FT for 7 points.

OT. Misses a long 2, then nails the and-1 on a nice drive. Blocked by LMA, and then Batum. Offensive board, splits a pair of free throws. Not a super-great OT, and him going 1/4 FG and 1/2 at the line didn't help. They lost by 2, so if he'd hit one more of his shots, then they'd have gone to a second OT.

Nevertheless, a good game overall, and Portland has not been a slouch against the Rockets defensively.

Toney Douglas' 2/11 shooting didn't help. He sucks at offense, though we knew this. Lin's 3/8 didn't help, either, although unfortunately that represents a RISE in his overall FG% to date (and at least he was drawing fouls, plus his passing was a lot more effective this game with guys hitting shots). Houston pounded the boards in this game, but basically Douglas lost the game and Harden couldn't salvage it in OT.

[CKRT]

7/18 FG, 3/7 from three, 3/5 FT, 2 boards, 7 assists, 1 steals, and 5 turnovers tonight against the Lakers. They were kind of hanging in there the whole time, but game was out of reach for them. Huge shooting game for Parsons, everyone else just kind of meh.

[Krodis]

I don't think Lin is a good fit next to Harden. They looked good together the first two games, but since... not so much.

[tsherkin]

Yeah, not his best game. Piss-poor efficiency and a ton of turnovers, although with that interior D and his lack of a mid-range game, I can't say I'm surprised. This one, I expected. Nice to see him finding his stride from 3, but yeah, he struggled. Had he hit all 5 of his FTs instead of just 3, his efficiency would have been fine (if unremarkable), but it still wouldn't have mattered. Going 4/11 under the arc, and in particular 2/6 between the key and 3pt range, didn't help him, though.

Meh.

[MisterWestside]

Meanwhile, Kevin Martin is doing his best Harden impression for OKC. He's been playing well for them so far.

[Krodis]

Didn't really get to the rim or line like he has been, although he set up his teammates pretty well. Missed a few shots towards the end of the third which is what did his efficiency in.

[EArl]

Harden had a decent game tonight.

OKC will miss Harden in the playoffs!
Mark my words!

[CKRT]

I don't think Lin is a good fit next to Harden. They looked good together the first two games, but since... not so much.

we need to see Lin get out of this horrid funk he's in before we make any calls, but I've been leaning that way since day one.

[Krodis]

Meanwhile, Kevin Martin is doing his best Harden impression for OKC. He's been playing well for them so far.

Martin is shooting lights out. Possibly a better fit in Oklahoma City's starting lineup than Harden. But he doesn't have the ball-handling and playmaking ability Harden has, which I think is costing the Thunder some in the second unit.

[EArl]

Kobe overplayed Harden in every aspect tonight!

[MisterWestside]

Martin is shooting lights out. Possibly a better fit in Oklahoma City's starting lineup than Harden. But he doesn't have the ball-handling and playmaking ability Harden has, which I think is costing the Thunder some in the second unit.

Yeah, the 2nd unit misses Harden there. But Martin's played smart basketball and he has stayed within himself. Interesting starts for both Martin and Harden.

[tsherkin]

I don't think Lin is a good fit next to Harden. They looked good together the first two games, but since... not so much.

we need to see Lin get out of this horrid funk he's in before we make any calls, but I've been leaning that way since day one.

Mmm... even then. Lin will get less sucky, but they need more of an off-ball player. Entertainingly, I think Kevin Martin would be a far better fit next to Harden than Lin, who is an on-ball player and not really a great shooter. He'll look a little better, but even during Linsanity, he was making his bones based off of isolations and PnRs, which are on-ball possessions that are much better-served going to Harden in Houston.

[rcontador]

He'll look a little better, but even during Linsanity, he was making his bones based off of isolations and PnRs, which are on-ball possessions that are much better-served going to Harden in Houston.

Are they actually? Harden's been looking pretty bad in isolations this year. When he goes one-on-one he turns the ball over like nobody's business. (Of course I could easily be wrong, I'd love to hear some stats on Harden iso plays.)

[CKRT]

I don't think Lin is a good fit next to Harden. They looked good together the first two games, but since... not so much.

we need to see Lin get out of this horrid funk he's in before we make any calls, but I've been leaning that way since day one.

Mmm... even then. Lin will get less sucky, but they need more of an off-ball player. Entertainingly, I think Kevin Martin would be a far better fit next to Harden than Lin, who is an on-ball player and not really a great shooter.

I agree. What I don't understand is why Cook hasn't been getting more minutes on a team that's devoid of offensive talent, even if he is just a spot up shooter.

Harden's TOs have been shockingly high. I would not have predicted he'd be having this much trouble with the ball. Currently averaging 4.1 without tonight's game, and I would of pegged him more in the 2.8-3.0 range. Part of this is how hard he's being doubled and trapped, and the Rockets are just not punishing teams for it.

On a unrelated note, watching these Houston games as really made me appreciate Asik as a defensive stalwart. His rebounding has been super impressive, along with how well he covers his teammates. Great pick up by Houston.

[tsherkin]

Are they actually? Harden's been looking pretty bad in isolations this year. When he goes one-on-one he turns the ball over like nobody's business. (Of course I could easily be wrong, I'd love to hear some stats on Harden iso plays.)

Yeah, again, Harden's still getting to the rim 7, 8 times a game at 70% or so from the field. His problem is the lack of a mid-range game and that his 3pt shot hasn't been there for him. He's scoring out of isos at 0.72 PPP, which is 32nd in the league. He's currently tops in the league out of the PnR at 1.03 PPP.

Together, those two plays represent 58.8% of his possessions (24.2% isos). He's shooting terribly out of isolations, but drawing fouls at just shy of 17%, and of course he's a very good FT shooter, barely turning the ball over at all (7.7%) and his FG% is so low out of isos that we have to expect it to move back towards a more reasonable level. He's basically doubled the amount he's isolating, so that' affecting him.

[Krodis]

Today won't do much for his averages. Played 17 minutes in the first half before leaving for good with the flu.

[JordansBulls]

Today won't do much for his averages. Played 17 minutes in the first half before leaving for good with the flu.

Yeah he was tied for ppg and now dropped to 4th because of his limited minutes.