James Harden’s decline in the knockout stages is a believable trend every year. Similar to Punxsutawney Phil emerges as a sign spring has arrived, but with darker clouds in the forecast. In what seemed like a decade, Harden disappeared into his shell after the best of the seven seasons of the schedule began. If this sounds like déja vu, it’s because it is. You can connect throughline from Harden’s absence from the 2012 NBA Finals to him hand lobotomy belong to heat Miami in 2022.
If history is any indication, the assumption is that Harden will disappoint anyone who supports him. Warning signs of Harden turning into melanoma during the playoffs emerged in the final weeks of the regular season after his outburst began to subside while he battled Achilles hurt. Whether it’s his washed-out Elvis fitness level, the week’s ailing physical condition or just his rapid aging, Harden is utterly unreliable once the post-season calendar comes end.
Where did it go wrong?
The Sixers being able to survive the kind of one-sided game that Harden assigned Brooklyn can’t-find-the-bottom-belong to-One-Net lineup. It won’t slip in a second round match.
In game 1, Harden couldn’t finish inside, only drilling 1 to 8 on 2 pointers and scoring 21 points from 23 shots.
“I couldn’t arrange it,” Harden confessed later.
It’s an unsettling sign for a skilled artist, whose uncanny ability to make defense centered on him as a primary pick, looks like revolving doors.
In game 2, Harden ran for the price of the brick, mistaking 10 of his 13 attempts from the field, scoring only 8 points. Fortunately, Philadelphia’s defense blocked Brooklyn in the second half, holding the Nets to 84 points to minimize Harden’s ineffectiveness.
While he was more generous, Harden continued the offense. Embiid doesn’t need his pick and roll partner to soak up the fountain of youth and deliver top-notch Harden MVP performances every night, but it’s amazing to see how far he’s fallen. Especially because of the pay cuts he took last season in an attempt to put himself in a position to extend the super max and take advantage of the NBA’s “36+ rule” by setting himself up a final long-term/long-term contract.
How far (and quickly) the mighty fell
Two years ago, Harden was considered one of the smartest scorers of our generation. His moves bewildered the defense, the opposing players assumed their normal defensive posture with hands behind the back to avoid putting him in line.
This season, Harden has taken the fewest free throws per game since his rookie season. After the season, when the referees take the whistle, Harden tends to hit the bottom. In his previous three playoffs, Harden has played 117 straight minutes without a trip to the charity.
Top networks 2-0 may seem like an odd time to complain, but you’re the crazy one not worrying about Harden’s ticking clock. This is the series where Harden should thrive and achieve whatever position on the floor he desires. Instead, Mikal Bridges was repressing him as a repressed emotion.
There’s a chance Harden starts catching lightning in a bottle and delivers a string of career-defining performances, but I wouldn’t count on that.
