Uptown wrote:In an elimination game, how do you as a possible MVP of the league only take two shots?! Harden has more turnovers than pts in the first half...

Seems like that rejection by Manu to close the last game really got inside his head. Looks gun shy.

Uptown wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

Uptown wrote:In an elimination game, how do you as a possible MVP of the league only take two shots?! Harden has more turnovers than pts in the first half...

Seems like that rejection by Manu to close the last game really got inside his head. Looks gun shy.

The Rockets didn't have much energy at all...No sense of urgency for an elimination game....

GustavBahler wrote:

Uptown wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

Uptown wrote:In an elimination game, how do you as a possible MVP of the league only take two shots?! Harden has more turnovers than pts in the first half...

Seems like that rejection by Manu to close the last game really got inside his head. Looks gun shy.

The Rockets didn't have much energy at all...No sense of urgency for an elimination game....

Harden's teammates feed off of his aggressiveness. He took one shot in a quarter and a half, which really threw them off, and they never recovered. Harden has a history of these kinds of collapses in big games going back to OKC.

If Westbrook wasnt a lock for MVP, pretty sure he is now.

MVP is already voted on. And if anything, wins matter and Rockets did beat OKC. Harden is not superhuman, either he is hurt or cooked.
Team and system play create chemistry that usually beats supestars. Go ask old timey Laker and Chamberlin fans about that. Celtics were awesome team. Bill Russell was no stat superstar but he was the glue of an incredible team. Lakers, pre/post chamberlin could not beat them!!

Showtime and Triangle era's made up for a lot of finals disappointments.

The logo won only a single championship in 9 trips to the finals. 1-8. They were 1-2 against the knicks!

http://www.tmz.com/2017/05/12/james-harden-club-rockets-playoffs-mvp-chant/

ESOMKnicks wrote:What is Harden supposed to be doing instead? Flogging himself publicly with a rubber hose? Or quietly sobbing in some corner of his home's attic?

Nah....but poppin' bottles after you get knocked out of the playoffs is not a good look and its a slap in the face of your teammates and franchise. People are built different and I get that. Magic stayed secluded in his hotel room crying like a baby after he let down his teammates when they lost to the Celts.

Harden looked disinterested the whole game. His body language was off, his play was uninspiring, his team gets smashed at home without its star player and you play your worse game all year and you wanna go clubbin' after? I think you lay low for a while....seems selfish considering his teammates...

GustavBahler wrote:

Uptown wrote:

ESOMKnicks wrote:What is Harden supposed to be doing instead? Flogging himself publicly with a rubber hose? Or quietly sobbing in some corner of his home's attic?

Nah....but poppin' bottles after you get knocked out of the playoffs is not a good look and its a slap in the face of your teammates and franchise. People are built different and I get that. Magic stayed secluded in his hotel room crying like a baby after he let down his teammates and lost to the Celts.

Harden looked disinterested the whole game. His body language was off, his play was uninspiring, his team gets smashed at home without its star player and you play your worse game all year and you wanna pop bottles hours after? Again, it looks like a slap in the face to his teammates, etc...

I agree. Harden looked hesitant to shoot from the tip off, looked like he was still trying to shake off the previous loss.

Harden's teammates were probably asking themselves WTF Harden was doing during the game, and asking the same thing about his trip to the club. If Harden went out fighting, I doubt the club hopping would have the same bad optics.

This....I caught a piece of Jalen and Jacoby this morning (I rarely watch this show) and they found a clip in game 3, I believe, where Harden was knocked down by a Spurs player. Gordon and Nene rushed over to help him up and Harden refused to allow them to. Nene reached down and grabbed Harden by the wrist and Harden yanked his hand away from Nene. Jalen and Jacoby wondered if there is something going on behind the scenes with the team...