James Harden believes he’s taken for granted around the basketball world, as he told Rachel Nichols of ESPN (Twitter link). “I feel like I’m the best player,” said the former Most Valuable Player, who once again leads the league in scoring. “Throughout the course of the year, I don’t see double teams for anybody else. Usually, you’ll see a double team after a 50-point night or a 60-point night. I have an 18-point night, the next game I’m seeing a double-team.”
Harden also took a dig at Giannis Antetokounmpo, who joked while choosing his All-Star squad that he didn’t want Harden because he preferred someone who passed the ball. “I wish I could just go to the rim at 7-feet and just dunk,” Harden said. “That takes no skill at all.”
We have more on the Rockets:
- P.J. Tucker has accepted his new role as the team’s middle man in its Microball lineup, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports. Tucker says it’s just part of the job description of a team player. “It’s not a choice,” he said. “It’s like when people ask me why I play so hard. Like, it’s not a choice to play hard. I don’t have a choice. That’s what you’ve got to do. Period.”
- Broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy doled out praise to coach Mike D’Antoni and GM Daryl Morey for their willingness to take criticism by embracing unconventional lineups, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle relays. “I admire their basketball courage,” Van Gundy said. “They have true conviction. They don’t waffle. They believe in what they believe. And they are unafraid of the consequences or the criticism. That’s when you can coach freely and manage freely.”
- The recent additions of Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll have made the team’s bench much more formidable, Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes. Forward Danuel House is noticing the difference. “It makes your team a very dangerous team,” House said. “Especially with your starting five. If your starting five is capable of putting up points and your bench is capable of putting up points, the team can stay consistent. There are no highs or lows, so that’s really good for our team.”
Adding both Green and Carroll has allowed the team to rest players like Westbrook and Gordon down the stretch when they’re not playing against other playoff contenders. That’s one of the most beneficial reasons for adding veteran players in the buyout market.
F#*&ing Harden. Other players dont get double teamed because even the most ball hog of them spend like half the possessions with it he does. Dude thinks he’s god because he learned to rack up ticky-tac BS fouls that the league should ban. I hate the your arms extended so I will draw a foul on a clear non shot attempt where your just drawing the foul.
Harden is so overrated nowhere more then in his own mind.
How can someone averaging 32PPG over the last five years be considered overrated? There’s a reason he finished first or second in the MVP race 4 of the last 5 years. It’s not because he’s a popular player, far from it. Everyone hates him. Fans. Media. Everyone. It’s because he’s one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Hes led the league in free throw attempts 6 times lmao. Dude literally said he picks up bs fouls that aren’t called in the post season. You can tell by the huge disparity in his FTA.
He has taken 20+ shots a game last 3 seasons.
Dude takes the same amount of shots in the postseason but his FTA drop from 10-11 to 7. And rockets cant win in the post season.
Scoring a bunch when you’re taking that many shots and fts isn’t impressive.
There are twelve players in NBA history who have attempted at least 900 free throws in a season, and it’s possible that Harden may become the 13th this season. 11 of those 12 players are in the Hall of Fame, pretty much some of the greatest players of all time. The other is Dwight Howard who will be in the HOF some day. Why do fans insist on holding Harden to such a high standard, if not out of hate?
Those players drew real fouls. Harden literally lowers his arms and then throws them into people, somehow getting a call in his favor. While most of them are arguably offensive fouls. He isnt even trying to actually score. He has admitted this before. He spends his time in the offseason looking at film to figure out new ways to trick refs into calling fouls. Getting to the line is a skill, but not when you’re whole arsenal is based on the incompetence of officiating…
His efficiency is a joke, and would be even more glaring if just a few of those calls per game weren’t given to him. Lately, he has surprisingly been more willing to allow Westbrook to be more dominant, which has helped him in that area, and would have been that way if he let Chris Paul make him better as well. They need that if they’re going to win. I’m not taking everything away from Harden. I’m just saying hes a glorified Lou Williams without the calls. I wont talk about his defense b/c I always believed it was effort based for him b/c he was good in that area in OKC at times, and every once in a while he does try on that end, while his post defense has been very good on switches and other stuff, although some of that is due to other factors
This post is WAY off.
Yeah I think if a players arm has already been extended before you start your motion then thats there airspace. If you fling your arms wildly up under them with every intention of hitting there arms not putting up a clean shot then no that BS shouldnt be a foul.
Between that and the step back 3 where they barely touch him and he flops. Dude is literally super inefficient with his shot volume and super efficient and drawing nonsense fouls that shouldnt even be fouls. Oh no our feet touched as I landed a tiny bit but Hardens on his ass crying about being fouled shocking!
No, everyone hates him because of the fouls.
Jordan got those same fouls. Nobody hates him
Not true. He got calls yes, but he didn’t do all the bs rip-throughs etc
Exactly.
So it’s harden’s fault that he’s so quick and his opponents can’t keep up so they foul him? Oh wait I guess it is. He’s just that good.
Harden initiates the contact.. there was a game last year where lakers played rockets and the lakers were literally putting there arms behind there backs when he was shooting 3’s and he was still getting fouled.. how does that happen..? Because he initiates the contact
He goes into the lane looking for an arm to rip through with no intention of putting up a “real” shot.
A bunch of Hardens fouls werent even called in Jordans day. Between the rip throughs and flops Hardens whole game is being good and duping Refs.
On the flipside imagine if Jordan had played as much iso ball as Harden. His scoring would be insane if he just chucked it up on like 40-60% of his teams possessions per night. Also MJ put up the same type of numbers as Harden with a 90s NBA volume of 3pt shots. MJ would have been putting up 40PPG in the modern NBA with all the space he would have.
Jordan played in the 80s and 90s. It was a much different game then and a lot more physical, especially from the late 80s onward. Jordan was not a flopper, dude would get hammered like everyone else back then.
People hate Harden because he flops so often and gets ticky tack foul calls.
People dont even realize that the rules changed even more in these last 2 seasons to allow even more of an open floor game. Now you cant even touch anyone in certain areas of the floor. You cant impede players movement. That’s how certain guards, especially young guards, have taken such an easy first step forward lately. Definitely helps Trae Young, for example, who struggled with the physicality of summer league, and has improved, but has benefited from calls, usage rate, and that space
Could James even deal with the oldschool rough up MJ to win game that he had to deal with in the late 80s early 90s. He couldnt handle the physical attacks from the entire other team to beat him down from his peak.
Jordan had his own tricks; the flinch-away when the contact was his and he jumped sideways. Of course, he did intend to hit the shot; Harden often doesn’t. Harden requires a wising-up from others which may not happen.
Saying Lebron walks is like saying there’s a lot of walking in the NBA. Umm, yes. Does Lebron do more than usual?– no. At first, Lebron (temporary) brought a reprieve from star-player trickery and made it about physicality, his thing.
Don’t bring the GOAT into this conversation, no comparison.
Why get mad at the player for getting the fouls called? He is not the one blowing the whistle. It would be different if this was street ball and players called their own fouls, but it’s not. He is just playing smart.
Everyone that hasn’t watched him play hates him because of the fouls. It’s herd mentality. When you see reality, you don’t hold such notions.
I think the fouls are BS and the Refs should be talked to. The real reason I dislike Harden though is the whining the classic Harden picture is both hands pointing up mouth gaping open as he just cant believe it when the Ref doesnt reward his flop. He thinks his s**t dont stink. How many rings you got buddy? If your the GOAT wheres your back to back to backs? Dude thinks he is all that because he became the best of all time at the worst kind of scoring. You wanna shoot FT as your whole game then get fouled for real and earn it.
Rofl
Hater
Yep harden via his 23 fga per game and 11 free throws averaging 35 per game.. plays zero defense, hooks or pushes off to get space, and initiates contact 90% of time to get his free throws.. hardly one of the greatest to play game.. need to shoot better than 44% and be a lock down defender and above all lead a team to a ring.. Kobe, mj, Lebron, Kareem, Tim Duncan, Larry bird.. those are some of the greatest to play the game.. harden is nowhere close to that level..
Ok, I’m no Harden fan(far from it) but I got to give the devil his due. Look at his career stat line and look at Kobe’s. Kobe shot sub .450 and drew a lot of fouls just like Harden. Harden shoots more 3s so that drags down the FGP.
As far as defense yes Harden use to be a sieve but the last few years he’s picked it up on that end as he usually guards PFs and more than holds his own when they try back him down.
All time great? No….but he’s very good and not too far off from being great. He will probably make the HOF barring a career ending injury.
My problem with Harden is the fouls. My coach always said. “Everytime you shoot try to make a basket never just try to draw a foul.”
Kobe got fouled driving the lane, Harden has made a living jumping into players from 10-25’ away from the basket. Huge difference. His game is to make players not want to defend him as a whistle comes immediately afterwards.
He is just playing the game. The refs are the ones blowing the whistle and calling the fouls. If what he was doing was wrong, they wouldn’t be calling the fouls. Just because he is the best at it, doesn’t mean he is doing anything wrong.
Nothing wrong but ruining the game. His game is lame.
Or if fouled in the lane its never a real man foul. He only gets rip throughs that shouldnt even be called as the majority of his FT opportunities.
People hate Harden because he crys when the refs dont reward his flops. The classic Harden arms out palms up with his mouth wide with shock excoriating the ref for not giving him 3FT of his flop.
I never understood how Harden fans square his inefficiency and his inability to defend for YEARS
He is pne of the most efficient guards of all time…if not of all time…if Morey was a basketball god he would create James Harden because of his efficiency. He has the ability to guard 4s and 5s and averages over a steal and a half per game. Harden haters don’t know nothing about him haha
That’s what he does, which is why he makes a lot of threes and 1.
Kobe shot 46% pre Achilles injury career averaged 19 shots per game and 7 free throws a game.. but most importantly he was a lock down defender and 5 time champ
Totally agree!
Shaq, Hakeem,all time greats.. harden over rated
Morey & Dantoni, either or both may get fired. But now they have something to hang their hat on, to get easily rehired by an owner who wants someone on the cutting edge.
Agree with JVG.
Smart trading to deal an injured player for RoCo & get under the repeater line & make sure the forward spots are filled with energy if not matching talent. And open the lane up for Russ.
Harden was always heading for points and dislike.
Should have been a #1 pick– brains & thighs. Can move in any direction at any time. Fatalist.
D’Antoni is in the last year of his contract, so technically he wouldn’t be fired (just not re-signed). But there’s very little chance they will fire Morey, who’s arguably the best GM in the NBA, even after what happened with China.
I have a feeling that they resign MD for another couple of years to see what he can do with his baby, the pocket Rockets. Morey ain’t going anywhere. You know how hard it is to get a competent, let alone world class, gm, he ain’t going anywhere where.
Unless they win a championship, Morey and D’Antoni are history. Fertitta didn’t pick those guys, the China thing was – and is – a massive issue, and he’s already laid the groundwork to fire both.
What did you think all those “scared” comments he made about old teams? He’s basically calling out the players, the coaches, the GM, and so on.
Not to mention, Morey can go work anywhere he wants. Why not go join an organization that isn’t worried about the tax?
I’m not being a hater here – I like Morey and D’Antoni – but they’re gone.
Don’t know which NBA games Harden is watching if he never sees another player get double teamed. I watch every Lakers game and AD gets double or triple teamed just about every time he touches the ball in the post. If you’re a star player in the NBA guess what? You’re going to get double teamed!!! Stop whining Harden! If you’re the so called “best player” then shut up, play your game and prove it. And if he thinks Giannis is just a dunker with no skill then you know he’s so self absorbed he can’t even see what’s a great player Giannis is. I’ve never heard of another player or team that whines so much that life isn’t fair and everyone is out to get them!
What he needs is people like you to stop talking. That’s what he was complaining about. He wasn’t complaining about the doubles or the triples or all the non calls he gets or the fact he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves, he was complaining about people like you. He thrives being the best player on the court every single game, being treated as such validates his status of being the best. What he wants is haters to quit hating a d for game to recognize game. He wants and deserve respect. Real men understand this and what he was talking about.
Dude your as paranoid as Harden. Nobodies out to get him. People just want you to prove it when it counts if you think your the GOAT, and not score almost all your points on flop 3PT and rip throughs in the key. Oh yeah and working on D instead of just taking it off since your teammates owe you for all the scoring.
In Hardens mind he is the best there has ever been, but to the rest of us he is a good player who isnt even the best during his own career. Lebron is better at making a TEAM win and has been since Harden’s first day in the NBA.
Have you seen Rocket and Harden threads? Saying that people are out to get him is an understatement.
He didn’t say GA wasn’t good, just that he lacks elite skills because he doesn’t need them because he’s 7 foot, which are all true. People’s projections and hate are their problems.
dam u replied to a lot of comments
Lol
Dude your as paranoid as Harden. Nobodies out to get him. People just want you to prove it when it counts if you think your the GOAT, and not score almost all your points on flop 3PT and rip throughs in the key. Oh yeah and working on D instead of just taking it off since your teammates owe you for all the scoring.
In Hardens mind he is the best there has ever been, but to the rest of us he is a good player who isnt even the best during his own career. Lebron is better at making a TEAM win and has been since Harden’s first day in the NBA.
All of that is a nonsense. Harden is an excellent player & passer, I mean he was the assist leader a couple years ago, so he is one of the best passers, the best scorer a more than good enough defender, he shouldn’t defend too much really he wins games scoring, star players don’t have to be great defenders, that is BS.
On the other hand say that Giannis hasn’t got skill is only tall & dunks is more nonsense too, he is one of the most skilled players I have ever seen in the league, great scorer, rebounder, passer, blocker, stealer, defender, shoots pretty good, except FTs there he really has to improve, 3’s shoots well enough, great dribbling… really Giannis has got it all, a real beast.
IMO both Giannis & Harden are 2 of the best ever, so this is just a silly discussion.
I think it was more frustration than anything else. When a Delta like Harden doesn’t get the props he deserves then it rubs him the wrong way. He just used GA as an example and compared his game to his colleagues do this all the time. He could’ve done that with anyone like Lebron, who is a worse player now that GA and JH.
Not to get too deep into this, but ROFLMAO at Harden in every single way possible for all of those statements. Only player in sports history I dont enjoy watching. Let him take all his glorified numbers to the bank though, b/c only way he wins anything is if Russ carries him to it, the way he wouldnt let Chris Paul
You don’t enjoy it because of the screens and a foundation of hate that probably levels your psyche. If you really liked basketball, you would see beyond the hate that the things Harden can do is beyond speechless and undeniable.
“Glorified numbers” So he didn’t earn thise numbers? Get out of here haha
Harden isn’t even the best player on his own team. Hahaha!
This dude is a clown. Seriously. The reason you see more double and triple teams than anyone else is because, in spite of that, there’s about an 80% chance you’re taking the shot still.
This is James Harden we’re talking about, not Curry.
He passes out to Westbrook on almost every double or trible team. You’re just talking out where there are no teeth.
Curry was great enough he was willing to take less personal glory so that KD would want to come win a bunch of titles. Curry gets doubled at least as much as Harden.
Westbrooks just as bad bunch of empty stat lines from those two. Yet in there minds nobody has ever, or will ever be better then them. Nobody thinks as much of H/W as H/W.
The style of play is annoying. The lack of humility is why I dislike them. You want to run your mouth like Harden does then show me the RINGSSSSSS.
Harden Hate ™ is real ya’ll.
BREAKING: volume shooter who has the ball every possession for 20+ seconds gets many points and assists. Contributes is no other discernible way.
More news at 11.
If you don’t want Harden to be a highly efficient volume shooter, then you don’t deserve to run any part of any basketball organization.
He rebounds with the best of them and plays a good opportunist defensive style that allows for him to average 1.6 steals a game for his career, qnd can guard the 4 and 5, which he does nightly.
I will remember James Harden about as much is I remember Allen Iverson, which isn’t much at all. At least Iverson has that lame and overused comment about practice to remind people that he played basketball.. The most memorable thing about Harden will be that his face looks like something one would see in an issue of Penthouse from the 70s. I guess guys known only for scoring and never winning a ring don’t stick in my memory much.
You comparing James Harden to AI is laughable. I stopped reading there haha
That’s actually a pretty good comparison, considering both players relied on scoring alone to make a name for themselves. Iverson, at least, showed some toughness, though. Harden’s career isn’t over, but the odds of him winning a ring seem to go down every season. He probably could have one if he didn’t completely fall apart after Chris Paul got injured in the playoffs versus the Warriors. That is what Harden tends to do, though…shrink under pressure. It was pretty funny seeing former players and analysts tease him about shrinking under the pressure of taking a shot in the fourth quarter of the recent All-star game while comparing it to his playoff performances.
You lost me after “relied on scoring to make a name for themselves” yeah them and almost every single star or super star crowned by the nba. There’s nothing here.
Fall apart? He lost his star wing man and his team bricked 30 threes, and they were still leading at the half in the final game. Yes Harden didn’t close it out but to say he fell apart? Na, he did his best but couldn’t do it on his own. It happens.
AI had the illegal cross over, Harden flops and rip throughs. Neither is worth what they are in there own heads.
SHOW ME THE RINGS IF YOUR SO GREAT…
I don’t like Harden because I do love basketball. I respect his ability and I do think he’s a top 4 player in the game as of right now. Giannis, James, Leonard then Harden at least until we see how/if Durant and Curry bounce back.
Laughable? No Harden isn’t on A.I.s level. A.I. was tough as nails and attacked the basket relentlessly. He didn’t care that guys like shaq outweighed him by over 100 pounds. He drove to the basket and actually tried to make a shot, got knocked on his ass then got up and tried again the next time down. He never won a ring but at least Iverson carried his team to the finals.
JH does exactly what you said AI does and then some. He even guards C and PFs. Talk about tough as nails.
SHOW ME THE RINGS! Either of those two. WIN WHEN IT COUNTS OR SHUT UP!
A.I was a great player and any one who says he wasn’t just because he didn’t win the championship doesn’t know basketball.
Too true, too true!!! Who cares about rings to define the greatness of a player, pretty dumb if you ask me!
Why are you bragging that you barely remember Allen Iverson? Dude was a ridiculously good basketball player. Hall of Famer, former MVP. And you remember him for his quote about practice. Got ya.
True that. They think comparing a HOF with another is bad for some reason.
You called it “laughable.” Now you are changing your story to thinking it is a good comparison…
Your are all over the place, HoopsR.
No. You just don’t understand, which I understand. It’s all good, calm down.
Did I say it was a good comparison? No, it’s still a terrible comparison. I was praising the HOF point. It could’ve been any HOF and the point would still be true: that downplaying AI, a HOF, and comparing him to a player (inaccurately) is evidence of a bad or not great player, which is your argument and laughable, his argument isn’t. Cheers.
A Iverson was a beast
Where you stand on Iverson says a lot about what you think of basketball. If you respect his toughness and incredible scoring ability (the guy that wasn’t even six feet tall) – but wish he would have embraced more team play – congratulations! You understand the game.
If all you can talk about is his scoring, and you don’t acknowledge his failures in big games? You don’t get it.
And if you think he was a selfish player who was overrated, you definitely don’t get it.
Allen Iverson was 5’10 that played in the era where you get punished going to the rim.. Carried a weak Sixers team to the finals ..he wasn’t scared of the moment.. in fact he relished it.. without him in the finals vs lakers, lakers sweep and make history..
Or that he dated a Kardashian
Putting Iverson and Harden in the same sentence in that way is totally disrespectful to Allen Iverson and the game of basketball. Iverson was a warrior, and never cheated the game of emptying his tank, ever. He played through injuries in an era where the physicality was totally different. 1 of the things I do have to give Harden credit for is playing most every night, although his playstyle partly allows for that. Could Harden have some similarities offensively in some areas if he respected the game? Ok, but overall? Its disrespectful to lump AI in with him
“Putting Iverson and Harden in the same sentence in that way is totally disrespectful to Allen Iverson and the game of basketball.”
Literally no reason to read any further.
Did I break? Are you projecting? Hahaha I’m having a good time laughing at you c:
Or I couldn’t care less because this is an internet forum and I don’t hold people to MLA or APA standards on these places but apparently you do professor hahaha please lecture me on the importance of grammer on a hoops rumors comment board, where I would assume that when a person makes a grammatical error that it is understood. You’re petty and sad hahaha
“Grammer?”
Looks like something broke…
The other guy was spiraling out of control dude, which is why his comments are deleted.
I saw them. Looked more like you lost it, but, hey, whatever floats your boat.
Well I guess that says something about your judgment doesn’t it.
As for me,
I’ll side with the admins on who was actually spiraling.
Hey, as long as it’s floating, right.
Actually, the comments were removed after I stopped responding and you continued your childish rant. But you go ahead and keep changing the narratives with blatant lies. That’s obviously your thing. Judging from the responses to your posts and comments about you from others, most people here have zero respect for you.
You really think y’all three are everybody? Hahahaha WOW
Harden’s a good player, not great. He doesn’t play defense very well and he’s not the greatest teammate as noted by many who’ve played with him. He’s more like a Melo type play where Giannis is tailored like a Kobe or Jordan type player. Ill take Giannis 100 out of 100 on this one.
A future HOF isn’t great? No need to read any further.
plenty of players make it in being good, not Great!! I.E Vlade Divac and Jack Sikma as 2 recent adds. lol
Harden is better than those 2 so ill give you that much.
Sure, but that point is irrelevant to this discussion and you know it. We aren’t talking about K love or Ray Allen here, this is james harden.
the point is, good not great players make it to the HOF and Harden will fit in that same mold next to Melo. 1 trick ponies with no Championship to their name because all they could do was score and elevate themselves at the expense of their team.
I’m aware you’re trying to attach that label on him, I apologize but it’s too farfetched to take seriously and not think it’s just bias.
Harden is obviously not a one trick pony so I’ll just chalk that up to more bias.
Harden allows his team to handle simple responsibilities that make them better. Rivers is beter, BMac is better, House is better, he makes mediocre players starters because Harden allows them to do only what they are good at (within the system). Get out of here with that talking poing if you can’t back it up like that.
It’s D’Antoni system that allows the players to play better.. remember 7 seconds or less offense.. has nothing to do with harden.. mediocre players being there scoring averages up playing for d antoni.. but he is truly a god awful coach.. that’s why he seems to get pushed out of every coaching job.. everybody knows hardens way of playing will never win a chip.. great players are defined by championships.. Hakeem is a legend.. guess what. He has 2 rings.. rockets shoot 45 3’s per game.. James harden attempts 12 per game and makes 4.. rest of team shoots 33..
If it has nothing to do with Harden then why does the pace slow down when Harden has the ball? Quit trying to use lines from a decade ago, it’s old and it doesn’t apply and since you didn’t know that the pace slows down considerably in Harden’s hands in MD system means that what follows isn’t exactly credible.
Since when great players are defined by championships? Are you telling me Barkley & Malone, the 2 best PF in history, probably, or Stockton aren’t great? Just because they didn’t win a ring? Oh boy, what one has to read this days… SMH!!!
This.
Stockton, Malone and Barkley great players .. but let’s face facts.. Magic was an elite player.. 5 rings.. Duncan elite, Garnett elite, both have rings..mj the goat has 6 and Kobe has 5.. Kareem has 6.. players that have rings are in an entirely different conversation when it comes to elite conversation
The Rockets build the whole team around Harden and he cant carry it with 14 other guys custom tailored to maximizing him. If that is supposed to be impressive then you will be impressed by a lot. The team works more to pump Harden stats and ego then win a title.
“with 14 other guys”
Is James Harden the only one allowed to have 14 other guys to maximize his traits? No, this point is irrelevant.
No, why would I be impressed with a full roster?
Because playing with RW really helps pad your stats…Come on man, are you even trying?
Harden’s style of play is selfish and dulls the rest of his team. Giannis is all about the team and makes everyone else better. His style can stay in Houston and is not misunderstood at all. Its selfish and destructive. Houston will never get to a Championship with his leadership!! lol
I like it, enough of the AAU b.s., let’s hear some beefs between NBA stars like the old days, get some grudges going, that is what makes for true competition, not scheming off court to create free agent superteams.
Hope Rockets and Bucks end up in the Finals, they can decide who is the best on the court the way it should be, not on Twitter.
Man whose worse with their homer Rocket comments, HoopsR or HWMVP
hoopsr for sure.. Blind to reality
They are both terrible homers, but HoopsR comes across like a child, as well.
Said the guy that just ad hominem the guy who’s supposed to be the child..look up the word irony.
I don’t want to be apart of your “reality”, believe you me.
The Houston Rockets are 30-2 when they hold their opponent this season to 112 points or less. Keep that in mind over the next three and a half months.
This would be the 122nd post before likely modding… a lot to read… I will pull this out from HoopsR:
“The only legitimate thing I’ve read in the comments is that [Harden’s] style of play dulls his teammates, which is true and evident at the beginning of the season, but that’s where RW comes in and balances things out, at least I believe that’s the plan and it’s taken off this month. Next one, who knows?”
That’s a fairly new & good couple of points, albeit for the “other side”.
I just saw the game on ABC, and I must say Westbrook was the most dynamic there, kind of unstoppable-looking if he doesn’t make himself dizzy with his movements, and was for the most part a post player in effect.
The biggest takeaway though was PJ Tucker running to the corner in transition, every time. The scheme has to boring, to everyone.
Every time the 5-out offense! At least everyone knows where to run to to stand while Harden pitter-pats with the ball.
Rockets won despite 1)visiting, 2)seemingly ideal matchups for Smart on Harden and height advantages for the forwards and even Theis, and 3)two dirty hard whacks taken by Boston players. Their coach said it was physical game and that all Rockets were keeping the Celts out of the lane. This was a green light from Stevens for, whatever. Wham.