A basketball clinic in Toronto, by James Harden

[First Step]

I wonder if guys like Ben Mclemore will hit 8 threes in the playoffs when the pressure is on.

[BallerTalk]

Great player, great passing but I imagine a basketball clinic wouldn't be encouraging not moving at all once you've passed out of the double. Dude is a permanent off-ball statue.

I just want to add that even after giving the ball up out of the double team, Harden intentionally stayed near the half-court line to draw his defender away and give space to his teammates. He could have looked to get the ball back if he was looking to get his numbers no matter what but he played the right way to put his team in position to win it. BTW most people are probably gonna laugh at this but Harden played very well on the defensive end as well. Noone scored on him in the post and he guarded Siakam on some possessions who is longer and who likes to post up shorter players.

If your presence is drawing two defenders damn near to halfcourt why would you cut and bring those defenders back into the play instead of giving your teammates the advantage of operating 4 on 3?
Especially on a night when your teammates are knocking down wide open shots.

[cupcakesnake]

2nd worst defensive rebounding team in the league runs into 3rd best offensive rebounding team in the league. 3 of Houstons starters grabbed at least 11 rebounds. Toronto didn't have a single-player grab double-digit rebounds. As a team Houston bludgeoned Toronto for 20 offensive boards. Capela had 9 by himself. Houston grabbed 37% of all available offensive boards!!!

Both teams played decent on offense. The rebounds are the story here.

They doubled a player 35 feet from the basket all game. Giving up a bunch of offensive boards there was par for the course of that Nurse poison variety. If they didn't give up a bunch of them, then that would have been the twist in the story.

I think you're ignoring season-long trends if you say that the sideline doubling was the only reason they got beasted on the boards. I can certainly see how it would contribute but Toronto has been awful on the boards all year. Houston has been very good.

[clyde21]

He's being singled covered by Kevin Love in the last minute of Game 7 of the Finals, where you would think they would be particularly concerned. Unless Kevin Love by himself constitutes a trap?

maybe you don't understand how basketball works, 40 seconds left, 3 points down, they weren't gonna trap Curry on a play like that...obviously. no one would get trapped in that situation. this is akin to a prevent D in the NFL.

i love how all of the sudden people are pretending Curry getting trapped at half court consistently the last 5 years suddenly didn't happen.

I just looked through several games worth of highlights from the 2016 WCF, and I can't find a trap besides occasionally on a pick and roll or the end of a quarter. Same with the 2018 WCF and the 2019 WCSF. (I went through those because those are the series I most clearly followed as they happened and I don't recall him being trapped outside of a pick and roll at all.

I have seen plenty of Curry being single guarded by Enes Kanter and Clint Capela though.

i gotta be honest, I don't really trust your eyes after the nonsense you just pulled with the last video.

[Krodis]

maybe you don't understand how basketball works, 40 seconds left, 3 points down, they weren't gonna trap Curry on a play like that...obviously. no one would get trapped in that situation. this is akin to a prevent D in the NFL.

i love how all of the sudden people are pretending Curry getting trapped at half court consistently the last 5 years suddenly didn't happen.

I just looked through several games worth of highlights from the 2016 WCF, and I can't find a trap besides occasionally on a pick and roll or the end of a quarter. Same with the 2018 WCF and the 2019 WCSF. (I went through those because those are the series I most clearly followed as they happened and I don't recall him being trapped outside of a pick and roll at all.

I have seen plenty of Curry being single guarded by Enes Kanter and Clint Capela though.

i gotta be honest, I don't really trust your eyes after the nonsense you just pulled with the last video.

So the strategy goes:

1. Make Claim
2. Provide zero evidence
3. When asked for evidence, refuse
4. When approached with evidence that contradicts, say it doesn't count
5. When someone disagrees, just say they're wrong
6. ???
7. Profit

[Lazy Faizy]

I just looked through several games worth of highlights from the 2016 WCF, and I can't find a trap besides occasionally on a pick and roll or the end of a quarter. Same with the 2018 WCF and the 2019 WCSF. (I went through those because those are the series I most clearly followed as they happened and I don't recall him being trapped outside of a pick and roll at all.

I have seen plenty of Curry being single guarded by Enes Kanter and Clint Capela though.

i gotta be honest, I don't really trust your eyes after the nonsense you just pulled with the last video.

So the strategy goes:

1. Make Claim
2. Provide zero evidence
3. When asked for evidence, refuse
4. When approached with evidence that contradicts, say it doesn't count
5. When someone disagrees, just say they're wrong
6. ???
7. Profit

What did you expect? The guy is a moron. Just put him on your block list like I have. Problem solved.

[Bank Shot]

Agreed. Harden's BBIQ does not get enough hype. He's an extremely smart player.

[Raps in 4]

Yeah but it's still just him scoring. He plays with teammates.

It kind of reminds me of when point guards would get criticized for averaging 10+ assists (70s). This is kind of where we are with scoring.

What's coveted today is balance and harmony.

His teammates are terrible.

Westbrook is an MVP and hall of famer. Maybe Harden is actually terrible but we're blinded by his point totals.

Westbrook is scoring on 48% TS this year. He scored on 50% TS last year. His TS% in last year's playoffs? 47%. The year before? 49%.

If you think Westbrook is good, you don't understand basketball. He's a below average player at this point in his career and a detriment to his teams.

[Raps in 4]

Harden is an all-time great. It's a shame Morey wasn't able to build a contender around him.

[AussieBuck]

Great player, great passing but I imagine a basketball clinic wouldn't be encouraging not moving at all once you've passed out of the double. Dude is a permanent off-ball statue.

I just want to add that even after giving the ball up out of the double team, Harden intentionally stayed near the half-court line to draw his defender away and give space to his teammates. He could have looked to get the ball back if he was looking to get his numbers no matter what but he played the right way to put his team in position to win it. BTW most people are probably gonna laugh at this but Harden played very well on the defensive end as well. Noone scored on him in the post and he guarded Siakam on some possessions who is longer and who likes to post up shorter players.

If your presence is drawing two defenders damn near to halfcourt why would you cut and bring those defenders back into the play instead of giving your teammates the advantage of operating 4 on 3?
Especially on a night when your teammates are knocking down wide open shots.

Second defender left on the pass, if the play didn't immediately finish he was giving the opposition an easy out by checking out and leaving a 4 on 4 game without their only star.

[VanWest82]

I thought Harden had a great case for MVP last year and probably should have won over Westbrook in 2017. Last night all he did was pass out of the double at half court. Despite all those passes he had only three assists vs. four turnovers and five fouls. He probably should have fouled out. Refs let a lot of stuff go because he's James Harden.

Credit him for being so good as to warrant a defense designed to limit his impact, which it did. But credit Capela for his nine offensive rebounds, and McLemore, House, Tucker, and Rivers for making 16!!! threes between them, and for being the real ones who won the game.

[SFour]

I didn't like what the Raptors did defensively last night...leaving great 3 point shooters like Tucker & House wide open from 3. I rather give Harden his 40 or 50 points but on poor shooting efficiency.....instead they let him get a very efficient 23 points

[TroubleS0me]

The Bucks & Jazz defended him the best

[mynameKIM]

maybe you don't understand how basketball works, 40 seconds left, 3 points down, they weren't gonna trap Curry on a play like that...obviously. no one would get trapped in that situation. this is akin to a prevent D in the NFL.

i love how all of the sudden people are pretending Curry getting trapped at half court consistently the last 5 years suddenly didn't happen.

I just looked through several games worth of highlights from the 2016 WCF, and I can't find a trap besides occasionally on a pick and roll or the end of a quarter. Same with the 2018 WCF and the 2019 WCSF. (I went through those because those are the series I most clearly followed as they happened and I don't recall him being trapped outside of a pick and roll at all.

I have seen plenty of Curry being single guarded by Enes Kanter and Clint Capela though.

i gotta be honest, I don't really trust your eyes after the nonsense you just pulled with the last video.

What Harden faced last night was not the same as Curry getting occasionally trapped on a pick and roll. I have never in my life seen anything like that particular defensive scheme that the Raptors employed. Harden was literally HARD doubled the second he crossed the half court line everytime.
But i think that has more to do with Westbrick than Harden. They were leaving Westbrick completely open to double team Harden at the half court line. It almost worked. The man shot 7/27 while being completely ignored. Goddam.

Never seen anything quite like that.

[clyde21]

I just looked through several games worth of highlights from the 2016 WCF, and I can't find a trap besides occasionally on a pick and roll or the end of a quarter. Same with the 2018 WCF and the 2019 WCSF. (I went through those because those are the series I most clearly followed as they happened and I don't recall him being trapped outside of a pick and roll at all.

I have seen plenty of Curry being single guarded by Enes Kanter and Clint Capela though.

i gotta be honest, I don't really trust your eyes after the nonsense you just pulled with the last video.

What Harden faced last night was not the same as Curry getting occasionally trapped on a pick and roll. I have never in my life seen anything like that particular defensive scheme that the Raptors employed. Harden was literally HARD doubled the second he crossed the half court line everytime.
But i think that has more to do with Westbrick than Harden. They were leaving Westbrick completely open to double team Harden at the half court line. It almost worked. The man shot 7/27 while being completely ignored. Goddam.

Never seen anything quite like that.

Curry was literally seeing Box-and-1s 6 months ago...

[AussieBuck]

i gotta be honest, I don't really trust your eyes after the nonsense you just pulled with the last video.

What Harden faced last night was not the same as Curry getting occasionally trapped on a pick and roll. I have never in my life seen anything like that particular defensive scheme that the Raptors employed. Harden was literally HARD doubled the second he crossed the half court line everytime.
But i think that has more to do with Westbrick than Harden. They were leaving Westbrick completely open to double team Harden at the half court line. It almost worked. The man shot 7/27 while being completely ignored. Goddam.

Never seen anything quite like that.

Curry was literally seeing Box-and-1s 6 months ago...

It's like those 4 years where Draymond Green was a regular triple double threat never happened.

[makeready]

houston's had toronto's number in the nurse era. we're lucky they play in the west.

[ropjhk]

Although the Raptors lost I do like the fact that Nurse continues to think outside the box with his defensive schemes.

If Harden can elevate his teammates more often and figure out how to make them more useful like they were against the Raptors then Houston could become unstoppable on offense.

[DaPessimist]

He picked his spots well and played harder on defense.... but his off-ball movement was non-existent. If he learned to cut after he passed the ball, the Rockets win that game in a blowout.

[DaPessimist]

I just looked through several games worth of highlights from the 2016 WCF, and I can't find a trap besides occasionally on a pick and roll or the end of a quarter. Same with the 2018 WCF and the 2019 WCSF. (I went through those because those are the series I most clearly followed as they happened and I don't recall him being trapped outside of a pick and roll at all.

I have seen plenty of Curry being single guarded by Enes Kanter and Clint Capela though.

i gotta be honest, I don't really trust your eyes after the nonsense you just pulled with the last video.

What Harden faced last night was not the same as Curry getting occasionally trapped on a pick and roll. I have never in my life seen anything like that particular defensive scheme that the Raptors employed. Harden was literally HARD doubled the second he crossed the half court line everytime.
But i think that has more to do with Westbrick than Harden. They were leaving Westbrick completely open to double team Harden at the half court line. It almost worked. The man shot 7/27 while being completely ignored. Goddam.

Never seen anything quite like that.

Curry has been hard-doubled at half court several games. I believe it even happened in a playoff series. Then teams realized that this is the NBA, and you're going to lose playing 3 v 4.