eh, it's almost certainly a win in game 7 if not for foster going supernova, and lebron had kyrie, yet still never had a remotely competitive series
I just wonder if those NBA-Guys have amnesia. I mean, it wasn't that long ago that the Russ-Harden experiment failed due to lack of basketballs on the court. And Harden just rant about how the 76ers were holding him on a leash... Comedygold!
We must be of the same generation. I have to admit, I didn't enjoy the Harden era. In terms of likeablility, the post-Yao era was up close to the top although we were miles from being a contender. But I don't know... I just couldn't bring myself to like the Harden-era Rockets. Of course, I wanted the Rockets to succeed, but the PO-failures were just so predictable. The playing style was against everything I believed in. And don't get me started about Hardens disappearing act after CP3s injury. I mean, Harden is supremely talented, maybe even a future HoF. But the truth is, he is not championship material as a leader. You can debate whether the same can be said about KD, but KD has at least the mental intelligence to adjust his role in the superteams he was in. While Harden managed to do that for a year with the 76ers, now he is back with "I am THE SYSTEM"-nonsense.
Umm, the Russ-Harden experiment didn't fail because of "lack of basketballs". They were literally the highest scoring duo since the merger. They failed because the team had no center, bad defense, and because teams could completely lay off Russ because of his lack of shooting. Saying they failed due to "lack of basketballs" is such an absurd and casual take.
They intentionally got rid of all centers because that was the only way Harden and Westbrook could work together on the floor. Harden was still the ball-dominant guy. Westbrook took turn to do play making some of the times. I don't have time to verify your claim about the highest scoring duo. But they did the scoring by taking 45 FGA per game, which is almost exactly half of the total team attempts.
As Easy said - one thing is caused by another. So, maybe it wasn't the lack of Basketballs - it was rather the lack of basketball COURTS.
James Harden Can’t Win His Legacy Back Yes, Harden got everything he wanted when the Philadelphia 76ers at last acceded to his demands and sent him home to L.A. But Harden has always gotten what he’s wanted and it’s never been enough to satisfy him—competitively, financially, or spiritually. https://www.theringer.com/nba/2023/11/6/23948192/james-harden-los-angeles-clippers-debut-legacy
I'm in that generation as well. The Harden era was cool for us being in the mix. But his play style and what was implemented by D'Antoni was not championship winning basketball (although I believe we should've won the championship in '18). lol Harden's style was honestly soft despite his talent. You could just tell he wasn't going to come through when it really mattered. He lost me in the series against The Spurs in '17. He was scared and gassed. Getting blocked by Manu to end it was just the worst. To Me Adelman's 08-09 Rockets were the best post Dream Era Rockets, and that should've been our year. They played to me how basketball should be played.
Pretty reasonable take, but the knife really comes out as you keep reading that one. "If this were a children’s book, Harden would be the Very Hungry Caterpillar, except instead of chewing holes through apples, plums, and leaves, he chews through teammates, coaches, and franchises; and instead of turning into a butterfly, he just devolves into an increasingly embittered caterpillar..." Ouch, man. Hahaha.
In terms of sentiment, I'll always go for Rudy as a Rockets coach, and he deserves all the credit for unlocking prime Hakeem and leading that interesting group of personalities to the trophies. But in terms of actual coaching ability, maximizing a roster's success? I'd give that to Rick the Ruler and actually Bill Fitch from the earlier era. They are tied in my mind for X's and O's, within their generations.
Lol I have never seen someone like Udoka who has 1 or 2 practices and the team is doing exactly better at what he practiced. A magic wand.
When you look at the history of coaches The Rockets have had, and you realize that we were kind of spoiled at times with what was leading our teams throughout the years. Then you see coaches like JB Bickerstaff and Silas had the clipboard for us and it's like where the hell did we go wrong. lol It's because they would've/did bend for Harden and Ime wouldn't have. Ironically enough, I think Rudy would've made it work with Harden, as well as JVG for some reason. I just get that vibe, Adelman for some reason I don't get that vibe that he would've dealt with it even though his offense was perfect for the young mid rage Harden.
Imagine if Yao had not bulked up and played like Chet......he was ahead of his time. The Wingspan was not there but the shooting stroke and he could still play D.
