James Harden

[Chin Diesel]

50 points and a triple double.

Fourth time in his career he's gone for 50 and the triple. No one in NBA history has done that.

Not gaga over him and think he's a gunner. Did enjoy watching him abuse Lonzo Ball, McGee and the rest of the Lakers tonight. Lakers D on him was atrocious and I'm a huge fan of NBA teams abusing their opponents when they refuse to adjust.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Not a huge fan of his game either, but he is something spectacular.

 

[AdamaNation]

What would okc have been offensively had the big three stayed? Perhaps on par with golden state? Just way more slashing and iso but the overall scoring avg would be similar.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

What would okc have been offensively had the big three stayed? Perhaps on par with golden state? Just way more slashing and iso but the overall scoring avg would be similar.

They would be loaded with three all-time great 1 on 1 scorers.
For all the incredible talent and athleticism Westbrook has, I'm convinced he cannot coexist with superstars and sacrifice a piece of himself to win a championship.

 

[UconnU]

Really strange player in that he’s not very athletic, a little overweight, doesn’t have the best shooting mechanics. I think he just has really good hand eye coordination. He also takes a crap load of shots like 21 a game this year, and goes to the line a lot where he’s an 87% free throw shooter for his career.

 

[mauconnfan]

They should call a foul on him every time he falls without contact after taking a 3 trying to get the refs to make the call. It's pitiful to watch that and it's worst when they give him the call. He's a talented offensive player, ridiculously even but not anyone I need to watch, especially on D where he stops playing.

 

[polycom]

Really strange player in that he’s not very athletic, a little overweight, doesn’t have the best shooting mechanics. I think he just has really good hand eye coordination. He also takes a crap load of shots like 21 a game this year, and goes to the line a lot where he’s an 87% free throw shooter for his career.

Not very athletic compared to what?

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Not very athletic compared to what?

Guys like you and me, duh.

 

[husky429]

Really strange player in that he’s not very athletic, a little overweight, doesn’t have the best shooting mechanics. I think he just has really good hand eye coordination. He also takes a crap load of shots like 21 a game this year, and goes to the line a lot where he’s an 87% free throw shooter for his career.

He's not a leaper, but he's super athletic in his own way. His deceleration is crazy good. 90+%ile.

 

[Lefty2one]

Harden is also stronger than most realize. He benched one rep more than Jeff Adrien at the combine and was one short of Tyler Hansbrough.

He's very athletic, just has that deceiving laid back, smooth game.

 

[B1GEast]

I could probably score five points in the NBA, with my left hand. There's absolutely no defense being played in that horrible league.

I miss the 80's and 90's NBA game. Back then Jordan had to fight to score 50 points, today when someone scores 50 points, it's not that big of a deal.

 

[Palatine]

The NBA didn't count blocks per game until 1974, the year after Wilt Chamberlain retired. If they had kept them while he played, he would have aquired a ton of triple doubles. He averaged over 30 points and 20 rebounds for his career of over a thousand games. He scored over 50 points 118 times.

 

[polycom]

I could probably score five points in the NBA, with my left hand. There's absolutely no defense being played in that horrible league.

I miss the 80's and 90's NBA game. Back then Jordan had to fight to score 50 points, today when someone scores 50 points, it's not that big of a deal.

I know this is a hot take troll post however, do you think they play more defense in college than in the NBA?

 

[husky429]

I could probably score five points in the NBA, with my left hand. There's absolutely no defense being played in that horrible league.

I miss the 80's and 90's NBA game. Back then Jordan had to fight to score 50 points, today when someone scores 50 points, it's not that big of a deal.

Have you watched good teams in the NBA? Or playoff basketball? You either don't know basketball, or are an idiot.

 

[B1GEast]

Have you watched good teams in the NBA? Or playoff basketball? You either don't know basketball, or are an idiot.

You mean stacked NBA teams like the Warriors? Please, we pretty much know what three or four teams will reach the finals. I'll watch then.

 

[B1GEast]

I know this is a hot take troll post however, do you think they play more defense in college than in the NBA?

Glad you recognized the Troll post. The college game is much more entertaining.

 

[husky429]

You mean stacked NBA teams like the Warriors? Please, we pretty much know what three or four teams will reach the finals. I'll watch then.

And they play defense. Celtics, Warriors, Raptors, philly, etc. Are all playing astounding defense.

The 1 on 1 skill offensively is too great for average defense not to look like hot garbage.

You have yet to provide an answer, really.

 

[polycom]

Glad you recognized the Troll post. The college game is much more entertaining.

Well at least you'll admit you're trolling. More entertaining or easier to understand?

 

[Lefty2one]

The NBA has made it nearly impossible to play good 1 on 1 defense; even the best defenders get roasted a few times every game. With so much space and so many rules favoring the offense, defenders in space don't have a prayer throughout the course of a game.

Help defense is by far the biggest key for NBA teams these days. The best defenses are the teams who execute their defensive scheme as a unit and why one weak link can kill your defense. Scrambles, closeouts, and rotations are more important than ever before. Teams have to accept that they're going to get broken down and forced into a rotation on nearly every possession; that's how the game is played these days. It's not the 90s where you can keep teams completely out of the paint for extended periods by physicality and sagging off perimeter threats. The three-point-happy league wouldn't exist in its current iteration if NBA teams could still play physical defense.

• You can't hand-check.
• The new stupid double-stepback move that isn't a travel; I get that it's not based on the NBA rulebook but it's still so stupid.
• Offensive players are allowed to initiate so much contact and it's made doubly worse since not only is it not an offensive foul but somehow it's a defensive foul. There are a few atrocious calls every game where the defender is in legal guarding position and the offensive player will leap straight into the defender's chest and somehow earn a whistle.

That said, the NBA is still entertaining as hell and I love it.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I could probably score five points in the NBA, with my left hand. There's absolutely no defense being played in that horrible league.

I miss the 80's and 90's NBA game. Back then Jordan had to fight to score 50 points, today when someone scores 50 points, it's not that big of a deal.

Thanks for the hot take grandpa.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

• The new stupid double-stepback move that isn't a travel; I get that it's not based on the NBA rulebook but it's still so stupid.

It's the worst part about offensive rules these days. How do you contain a guy like Harden when he can just take a full step away from you?

 

[ZenConn]

Not a fan of his game as well but fits the system and his defense is atrocious. His step back is indeed a travel and no one can guard it.

 

[Travelman6]

I could probably score five points in the NBA, with my left hand. There's absolutely no defense being played in that horrible league.

I miss the 80's and 90's NBA game. Back then Jordan had to fight to score 50 points, today when someone scores 50 points, it's not that big of a deal.

Over the course of an 82 game season with an average of 40 minutes I would give a +/- of 5 on that and then take the under comfortably.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Insane numbers. 61 at the Garden last night.

It seems insane that his numbers coincide with the Rockets finding their groove as a team. I don't know if Lakers were ever this dependent on Kobe. Not even Jordan averaged as many rebounds and assists as Harden.

In his past five games, he has scored 261 points – 57 vs. Memphis, 58 vs. Brooklyn, 48 vs. the Lakers, 37 vs. Philadelphia and 61 vs. the Knicks. That’s 76 made baskets and every single one was unassisted. It seems impossible to make that many shots without at least one teammate setting up the bucket with a pass.


Opinion: James Harden lighting up scoreboard, record books, critics as he boosts Rockets


He now has scored at least 30 points in 21 consecutive games, averaging 41.3 points, 8.4 assists and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 37.5 percent on three-pointers during that stretch. He’s also attempting 14.6 free throws per game and making 13.

But that doesn’t begin to tell the full story.

Harden’s offensive outburst has coincided with Houston’s rise in the standings. On Dec. 9, the Rockets were 11-14 and in 14th place in the Western Conference. Granted, teams were bunched closely in the standings, but Houston did not look like the team that pushed Golden State to seven games in last season’s conference finals.

Since then, the Rockets are 16-6 and Harden is putting together a season that has made him the MVP favorite.

 

[UofCT]

Just imagine if they had Shabazz running point