On the brink of elimination, the Houston Rockets are once again set to deal with the aftermath of a disappointing season. Questions have already surfaced about who may be outed, as changes seem inevitable considering the current situation.
But as much as folks want to blame D’Antoni, Westbrook, or even Daryl Morey, James Harden shouldn’t be blameless in all of this, either.
With the season on the line, Harden went just 2/11 from the field last night. More concerning than that is the fact that those types of performances have become somewhat normal for James. In fact, the eight times he has gone 20% from the field in a playoff game is about 4x the number of Kobe, LeBron, Durant, and Jordan combined.
This is a wild stat
(Via @kirkgoldsberry ) pic.twitter.com/jgLPIYXu1R
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 11, 2020
Stars are allowed to have bad nights, but when they make a habit out of underperforming in huge games, that’s where it can become troublesome. As great as Harden is in the regular season, his list of bad playoff games is getting too long to not be considered a stain on his legacy as a player.
For the Rockets to get over the hump, they’re going to need James to really step it up in the big moments. If not, his status as an NBA elite may be put at risk.
We’ll see how he responds in Game 5.
