The Boston Celtics’ 2024 NBA Championship triumph means that 17-year NBA veteran Al Horford can finally call himself a champion. Horford held the NBA’s longest streak of playoff games without a title win at 186 games, a distinction that’s now been passed to James Harden, who is the new active leader with 166 games (and counting) without an NBA title.
Harden has made a concerted effort to play for multiple contenders in recent seasons in the quest for his maiden NBA title. He built his own contender on the Houston Rockets but had a juggernaut Golden State Warriors squad to contend with, who were virtually unbeatable over the span in the late 2010s.
Harden would be traded from the Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets, where he teamed up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The 2021 NBA Playoffs were arguably Harden’s best shot at a title but injuries led to the Nets capitulating and the Milwaukee Bucks advancing to win the whole thing, as Harden watched his rival Giannis Antetokounmpo achieve what he’s been after his entire career.
Two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers yielded no real contention for Harden, who then forced a move to the Los Angeles Clippers to create another top-heavy superteam, which fell apart in the first round.
Harden is fourth on the all-time list, with players like Karl Malone (193) and John Stockton (182) still ranking ahead of him. The active player with the second most played playoff games without a title is Harden’s former running mate, Chris Paul (149).
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Harden’s chance of being the best player on a championship team seems to be behind him, as the 34-year-old has had a clear regression in his scoring ability as he’s aged. The man who once averaged over 36 points a game in a season averaged 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 8.5 assists last season, taking his responsibilities as a floor-setter more seriously now.
The Clippers were supposed to be the place where Harden finally gets it done. The team desperately needed a high-IQ point guard like Harden to help take the creation load off wing scorers like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
For a stretch, this strategy looked perfect as the Clippers went 31-8 from November to February, competing for the No. 1 seed in the West. But a tale as old as time played out, as the Clippers once again saw Kawhi get injured and be unable to play through the final month of the regular season or the first round.
While the Mavericks did beat the Clippers with a 4-2 series win in the first round, people will always wonder if the result would have been different with a healthy Kawhi. Harden did his part too, averaging 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in the first-round loss.
The 2017 MVP will be a free agent alongside Paul George this summer. The most competitive outcome for both players will be to return to the Clippers, hoping they can have a season without injury. If not, it seems tough to ascertain where Harden could finally become an NBA Champion.
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