What year do you think that the Rockets should have won the Championship with Harden Pick the year where we really should have won . . where we lost to an inferior team? 2012–13 82 45 37 .549 3rd, Southwest Lost First Round, 2–4 (Thunder) < #1 seeded Thunder 2013–14 82 54 28 .659 2nd, Southwest Lost First Round, 2–4 (Trail Blazers) <-- HAD the same record but we had the Tie Breaker 2014–15 82 56 26 .683 1st, Southwest Lost in Conference Finals, 1–4 (Warriors)< #1 seeded Warriors 2015–16 82 41 41 .500 4th, Southwest Lost First Round, 1–4 (Warriors) < #1 seeded Warriors This year we are going against the #2 seeded Spurs who won 61 games in the second round The Portland Series is probably the only one were underacheived . . . . . maybe Here is the thing . . . . WITHOUT HARDEN . . . are we even in those series? Remember when we were BEGGING to get into the second round Watching FRANCIS, TMAC and YAO fail every year . . . . . We have gotten further with JAMES HARDEN than we have in over 20 years BUT YEA!!! WE HATE HIM . . WE WANT TO TRADE HIM He is out there with his squad. . . d*mn good players but their is no YAO there. . . There is NO TMAC . . . . HARDEN'S TEAM LOOK MORE LIKE THE FRANCHISE TEAM THAT TOOK ON 4 HALL OF FAMERS IN LAKERS than any team after that . . . . . . and even that team had YAO and FRANCHISE .. I'm sorry that Harden's Rockets are not beating the 73 win Warriors. . . the Championship winning Warriors. . .the NBA Finals Thunder and lost to a Dagger in Portland . .. or the SPURS who have been the best team in the league over the last 20 years. . . When you can name me a player that had not named LEBron . . . . I would appreciate that Just let me know where I am wrong? Where am I lying? Rocket River
No it doesn't. A bad ending is a bad ending. It doesn't undue anything. It's just supremely painful and confusing. If Harden wasn't as good as he is, it wouldn't be so painful and confusing.
The dumbest, and I mean the literal dumbest, thing that is said on Clutchfans over the past few years is "you just can't win a championship with Harden" This post accurately shows that.
Well . .. . . During his final play in regulation . . . . he got The FOUL end of the stick Rocket River
It's not a conundrum at all. It's just a sign that the team is not talented enough overall. Did you forget that Clint Capela and Eric Gordon are our 2nd and 3rd best players?
Maybe it is because this is his FIRST year at PG, and he doesn't TRULY trust his teamates in crucial situations, it happened to Jordan, it happened to Hakeem, at some point they started letting others shine LATE in games and they became champions. That, IMHO, is what is going on here, he is trying to do too much late in crucial games - he needs to let others shine. Look at the list of role players that hit crucial shots in championship teams in Houston. 1. Horry 2. Kenny 3. Sam 4. Mario Just to name a few..... I think we will need to be bounced a few times before he learns. DD
if that was the case, he wouldn't have passed at all in overtime. he tried to let Gordon take a shot but he missed it, he passed to Beverley for a three, he had another turnover on a pass attempt, so this "try to let others shine" point is invalid. He tried to do that and we missed loads of shots off his passes.
I don't think it's mental. I do think it is physical. The guy has maximized his capabilities. He doesn't have the end to end speed of many guards (Westbrook, wall, steph and others). He doesn't have the sheer crazy size of the great SFs (Lebron, Giannis, KD, PG and others). He's not an extremely amazing 3 point shooter. He's a strong handler but not Steve Nash out there. These aren't things I'm just saying because of an L. It's what I've always known. It is what it is. He's maximized every skill he has, he uses his bulk effectively and has maximized getting fouls ... usually.
Dead legs is one reason, other guys like EGo also had their opportunities to hit their shots and put us over the line, and also Green hit a crazy deep three, followed by that and-1 to put them in winning position. Harden was guarded really tightly and gave up the ball instead of forcing it. This seems like the LeBron effect, if he passes it and other players don't make their shots he made the wrong play, if they make it, it was the right play. That being said, Harden was awful in OT. I put that down to being gassed.
Harden can still lead us to a championship. I still believe in him. But he has to mature and his game has to evolve and he needs to add a huge dose of humility to his psyche before we can win a title. And if he doesn't then we won't win a title as long as he's here. Harden will have to accept another distributor at the top end of the rotation and playing alongside him for stretches of the game and sharing play making duties with him when they are playing together. You can't win a championship in the NBA with only one player in your top seven capable of creating offense for his teammates. You have to have AT LEAST two guys in the primary rotation who can create offense for the others.
I really thought I wouldn't post again this season but because this loss seems like Deja Vu of the Golden State conference finals a few years back, I figured that would be a topic here. As fans we all try to look for that "one" thing that caused the game to slip away. But, the facts (stats) almost always lend themselves to pointing to any number of reasons a game is lost. Had the Rockets won the game, I wonder which of the Spurs offensive debacles of the overtime would have been seized on by Spurs fans as to why they lost the game. With a margin of victory of only 3 points you could take your pick of several areas that could have spelled the difference -- turnovers, rebounds, free throws, 3-point %, etc. Just a slight improvement in any one of those could make up a 3 point deficit. Unfortunately, the OP here is making the case that the only thing that really mattered at the end of the game is what happens in that last minute or two. Whatever the team did or didn't do to get to that point is almost pointless. It's like double or nothing in gambling. Yes and no. It does matter, in total, if you have enough failures in enough areas. If those mistakes aren't so severe you never have to go to overtime in the first place. The double or nothing pressure is on every play when you look at it that way. This, as much as anything, is the overriding reason for the loss. Overall the Rockets played with a sense of purpose, for sure. Mistakes and miscues happened to both teams. That often times goes with the territory of the perceived importance of the game at hand. But let's take the 3-point stats as a for instance. The Rockets were 16-48 (if I read the right game stats). That's 32 field goal attempts that gave 0 points. Now just suppose that half of those attempts had been used for 2-point shots, giving 16 attempts. Suppose the Rockets shot a meager 20%. That's 3X2=6 points. Game over. Similar, only slight improvements in turnovers, free throws and voila, less stress and probably a win. I do think as an isolated circumstance, Harden's tendency to seemingly freeze and have turnovers, in post-season play, has to be acknowledged. I saw another thread saying that this loss was on D'Antoni. I didn't read the thread but can anticipate what it likely said -- only playing 7 players, giving Harden too much leeway to decide what to do in a crucial situation, etc. One could be cynical and say D'Antoni should be fired because he obviously "lost" the players at the end of the game. I've been a fan of the Rockets since their season when they went to the Finals against the Celtics. I didn't watch them all this season until the playoffs started. Things change in one's life and sometimes a disconnect happens that changes how you follow a team. I have always wished the team success. I hope they defy the odds and pull this series out. But, realistically, I don't see them winning a championship this year. I'll be happy to be wrong.
2 many fkn paragraphs u Harden lovers spew. My gawd. Go and Break all the records in a watered down Zero physicality in todays game. Jane Frauden is here to lead us astray. BEWARE the false Shepard
Harden still has a chance to improve. But he has the history of choking in important games. Remember it's Josh Smith and Corey freakin' Brewer who won Game 6 of the Clippers series for us two years ago. Harden was on the bench in the game. Dwight Howard also performed better than Harden in their first year playing together and Howard is supposed to be a loser. Harden might perform well when we have build a big lead but in close games in the playoff Harden did not do so well. Having said that I still hope he can learn from his mistakes and play like a true superstar.
We are not pro ballers, every player prepares differently for a playoff game, but this is a matter of concern. He plays very well in 1st to 3rd quarter situations and only some clutch moments in the 4th. Mostly he gets fatigued, or not focused enough and makes mistakes. The first time I got concerned was when OKC had Harden in the Finals. He was one of the best on his way to the Finals, best 6th man, wheelin and dealing off the pine. Then he, WB and KD to an extent disappeared from the earth against the Heat. I thought he was just tired but it showed later that that he has a problem closing out big playoff games. He is not consistent enough in that department!! He has to get better at focusing, channeling his energy for the 4th and Overtime situation.
