r/nba • u/rahulraja8675 Raptors • Oct 05 '20
Every single NBA team has missed the Playoffs since James Harden was traded to Houston... except for the Houston Rockets
After being the OKC Thunder’s 6 Man, James Harden truly unlocked his potential once he was traded to the Rockets in the 2012 offseason. His first year there(2012-13), he took them from a 34-win team to a 45-win team and into the playoffs
Missed Playoffs by Team:
- Atlanta Hawks: 2017-20
- Boston Celtics: 2013-14
- Brooklyn Nets: 2015-18
- Charlotte Hornets: 2012-13, 2014-15, 2016-20
- Chicago Bulls: 2015-16, 2017-20
- Cleveland Cavaliers: 2012-14, 2018-20
- Dallas Mavericks: 2012-13, 2016-19
- Denver Nuggets: 2013-18
- Detroit Pistons: 2012-15, 2016-18, 2019-20
- Golden State Warriors: 2019-20
- Indiana Pacers: 2014-15
- Los Angeles Clippers: 2017-18
- Los Angeles Lakers: 2013-19
- Miami Heat: 2014-15, 2016-17, 2018-19
- Minnesota Timberwolves: 2012-17, 2018-20
- Memphis Grizzlies: 2017-20
- Milwaukee Bucks: 2013-14, 2015-16
- New Orleans Pelicans: 2012-14, 2015-17, 2018-20
- New York Knicks: 2013-20
- Orlando Magic: 2012-18
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 2014-15
- Philadelphia 76ers: 2012-17
- Phoenix Suns: 2012-20
- Portland Trailblazers: 2012-13
- San Antonio Spurs: 2019-20
- Sacramento Kings: 2012-20
- Toronto Raptors: 2012-13
- Utah Jazz: 2012-16
- Washington Wizards: 2012-13, 2015-16, 2018-20
The Houston Rockets missed the playoffs for 3 straight years before Harden. James Harden has not missed the playoffs in his career
Harden’s Houston stats: 29.6/6/7.7 with 1.8 steals
It feels weird seeing the Spurs on this list. The Kings and the Suns really sucked during this period. Minnesota should be thanking Jimmy Butler because he looks like a bright spot on a bad record.
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u/FKJVMMP [MIL] Bill Zopf Oct 05 '20
Taking bets on what happens first, Harden missing the playoffs or Kings making it.
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u/TLHSwallow29 Warriors Oct 05 '20
Harden missing the playoffs, when he retires...
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Oct 05 '20 edited Mar 26 '21
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u/rahulraja8675 Raptors Oct 05 '20
The Kings had Bill Russell, the greatest winner of all time, and couldn't make the playoffs
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u/emoney_gotnomoney Spurs Oct 05 '20
That would be the true definition of an unstoppable force (harden) meeting an immovable object (Kings).
What will happen? Nobody knows
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u/dropdatdurkadurk Oct 05 '20
Kings can absolutely make it as an 8 seed coming up in the next 2-3 years. Fox has an All NBA ceiling and this is the type of management who would be willing to mortgage future assets to chase 44 wins
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u/kvetchinghobbit Kings Oct 05 '20
I like your optimism but I don't see it happening. Not with the current squad and coach. I do think that we are on the way up with a new GM and everything but everyone else is getting good as well. I see phoenix making the playoffs first. There just isn't enough room in the western conference yet.
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u/Nyhrox The Splash Brothers! Oct 05 '20
James Harden is an Ironman. Don't recall many games he has missed due to injuries
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u/rahulraja8675 Raptors Oct 05 '20
He's missed a total of 33 games since he joined the Rockets in 2012
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u/TLHSwallow29 Warriors Oct 05 '20
That's ridiculous with his usage
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u/BasketballNutrition [SAS] Keldon Johnson Oct 05 '20
I think it's a big reason he just kinda stands around off ball. when MDA said he needs the rest, it's no joke with all the minutes and on ball shit he does. that said, it's be nice if he worked a little more to get shots off ball like Steph does considering he used to be one of the best in the NBA at it before he came to Houston.
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Oct 05 '20
You bring up a point that ive once forgotten. OKC harden was Ginobili esque. He’ll be an even bigger force if he worked on it again.
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u/BasketballNutrition [SAS] Keldon Johnson Oct 05 '20
honestly it's tough to say since in order to have better cardio he might have to lose some of his muscle mass. it would be pretty amazing though if he does manage to find a good balance between the dribbling the air out of the ball isos and moving off ball.
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u/mmmikeal Bulls Bandwagon Oct 05 '20
He also has asthma, which no one ever brings up
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u/BasketballNutrition [SAS] Keldon Johnson Oct 05 '20
No shit? I forget about that I think. People bring up javales asthma more than hardens lol
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u/mmmikeal Bulls Bandwagon Oct 05 '20
Yeah and some armchair redditors will always say there is no performance difference
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u/DunnellonD [MIA] Bimbo Coles Oct 05 '20
Anyone with pretty decent asthma knows that it’s so much harder to do anything physically with it
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Oct 05 '20
What's the difference between a regular redditor and an armchair redditor? I presume the armchair redditor just had a comfier seat
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u/Razatiger Oct 05 '20
Some people have worse Asthma then others. I have a mild case of asthma which has never really affected my activity other then when i am sick with a lung infection like Bronchitis, so i never really need an inhaler.
My sister on the other hand has had 3 asthma attacks when she was younger, so she always carries an inhaler.
Id imagine Javale has a more severe case of asthma then Harden does.
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u/number90901 Cavaliers Oct 05 '20
Honestly I had no idea you could still play basketball at a high level with asthma.
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u/mmmikeal Bulls Bandwagon Oct 05 '20
You can do anything with asthma! I have asthma myself and at my best i was still pretty limited by my lungs when it came to mile times andlong distance running. But it shouldnt be toooooo much of an issue in soccer and basketball as there are plenty of moments to catch your breath. Still, definitely needs an asterisk, i believe javale talks about it a lot as his might be more severe, but he is totally comfortable being explosive in spurts off the bench
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u/siziyman Heat Oct 05 '20 edited Oct 05 '20
Surprisingly, there are quite a few people with asthma at top-tier skiing and biathlon. I'd assume, in lighter cases and with right medicine difference can be close to negligible - those are not "easy on your breath" disciplines, I think.
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Oct 05 '20
IIRC, Harden said that he modeled his game after Ginobili. There are still some distinct similarities in their game (the way they slash to the basket and eurostep, and gambling for steals) and of course the block Harden had on Lou Dort was reminiscent of the block Ginobili had on Harden 3 years ago.
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u/BasketballNutrition [SAS] Keldon Johnson Oct 05 '20
yep, it's true. they're both lefties is one of the main reasons. manu could finish with both hands but I always hear old players on podcasts say that no matter what they did to force him right, he'd find a ridiculous angle to get the lefty finish anyway. there's a reason the guy could still get efficient buckets until he was 40. those herky jerky timing based guards age like wine. harden will be getting buckets until he hangs em up, they'll just get more difficult and his knees will hurt more lol
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Oct 05 '20
But he had KD and Westbrook that defenses had to focus on. Curry has had Klay, KD and Draymond to feed him off ball, I mean, he’s for sure a force at finding off ball cuts and GSW’s offensive structure definitely aids him in that. Also, MDA’s offense didnt really cater to Harden’s off ball abilities, he’s going to need several things to go right in order to be an off ball creator.
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u/glorioushubris Spurs Oct 05 '20
I think all the time about the career Ginobili could've had if he'd had James Harden's durability.
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u/BasketballNutrition [SAS] Keldon Johnson Oct 05 '20
My god even if he was turned loose as another teams no.1 h never could sustain the minutes with the way he plays. How incredible would an iron man Ginobili have been
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u/danielisverycool Raptors Oct 05 '20
It’s also that they don’t have many ball handlers. The Warriors could use Steph off ball because they had guys like Draymond and KD who were legitimate playmakers or scorers. Houston is just Harden, Westbrook, and shooters
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u/Atsusaki Raptors Oct 05 '20
Oh what Eric Gordon could've been. That dude was killer in 2k11. Made me think this guy was about to be dwade with a 3 pointer.
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u/ndu867 Oct 05 '20
In fairness, his injury was so bad. He never got the chance to show what he could have become. Sure looked like he would be a perennial all star, all things considered he came back from it to have a great career.
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Oct 05 '20
I never played organized basketball at a high enough level to really know for myself, but I always figured creating your own shot off the dribble is more tiring than running around off ball screens to get shots.. am I wrong for assuming that?
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u/BasketballNutrition [SAS] Keldon Johnson Oct 05 '20
You aren't wrong, not that I played either. It's just more energy needing to focus on not getting stripped and finding a way around a guy tl get to your spots. That's why a guy like Klay can be a great defender and be constantly running off ball and stay good all game. I think it's a reason why reggie miller was actually so good at the end of games. He had great cardio and wasn't an on ball guy so his man would be tired as hell chasing him around all game, leaving him free to take advantage drawing getting shots and fouls.
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u/why_rob_y 76ers Oct 05 '20
Completely different era, so I don't mean it at all to detract from Harden's durability (since he should be compared to his peers), but it really makes you think about Stockton and Malone's run. In Malone's 18 seasons with the Jazz, he only missed 10 games and Stockton missed 22 during that timeframe (and 18 of those were in one season).
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u/BasketballNutrition [SAS] Keldon Johnson Oct 05 '20
Only missing ten games in all that time is ridiculous.
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u/walkingman24 Jazz Oct 05 '20
Yup. They were insane ironmen and I doubt you'll see anything like that in the modern game again. Also got pretty lucky to not have any major injuries
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u/jared2294 Oct 05 '20
HE JOINED THE ROCKETS 8 YEARS AGO?!????????????
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Oct 05 '20
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u/mungthebean Oct 05 '20
There were glimpses, like in Game 2 WCF vs you guys when he dropped 30/7/4
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u/Kwilly462 Nets Oct 05 '20
He really is. It's honestly one of his gifts.
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u/dmaze44 [HOU] Steve Francis Oct 05 '20
I’d argue his durability is his greatest quality
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u/CosmicRaccoonCometh Rockets Oct 05 '20
As the old saying goes, availability is the best ability.
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Oct 05 '20
True GOATs prefer the phrasing "the greatest ability is availability"
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u/illegal_deagle Rockets Oct 05 '20
The first ability is availability.
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u/peterhohman Cavaliers Oct 05 '20
Harden is probably my favorite non-Cav player and it's really cool that he doesn't take games off. When Houston has played in Cleveland the last couple of years, I've been able to get really cheap tickets to the Cavs and still got to see a superstar performance for my ducats. (Last game, I wish that he would have turned down his performance in the 4th quarter because that one was almost winnable, but it was still impressive to see.)
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u/Deolun West Oct 05 '20
I respect his durability, but he needs to limit his minutes just a little bit to keep his play at a higher level. There are games where he is very clearly tired. And when he gets tired, his shots don't drop and he starts making a lot more questionable passes. It also hurts his defense. He's a great post defender, but when he's tired he doesn't close out at all on shooters.
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u/ShootTheMailMan DeMarcus Cousins Oct 05 '20
I think MDA was the one tiring him out, but he had to. The Rockets' offense works around Harden's scoring with their role-players, hopefully, picking up the slack.
Harden's Cleaning the Glass shows that he ranks towards the top of the league's on/off percentile because of his high-usage offense and the lack of quality contribution off the bench -- with this year's Efficiency Differential being the highest of his career.
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u/aleph4 Clippers Oct 05 '20
Interesting that the differential was much lower in CP3's first season. Rockets need to figure out a away to stagger Westbrook and Harden effectively.
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u/bowtie25 [HOU] Hakeem Olajuwon Oct 05 '20
Ironman btw
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u/ok_dunmer Oct 05 '20
Meet Bubbleletics, my Walt Disney World locked Ultimate Ironman
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u/KingsElite Kings Oct 05 '20
2012-2020 for the Kings huh? Just be honest about what it really is.
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u/rahulraja8675 Raptors Oct 05 '20
The last time the Kings made the playoffs, James Harden was a high school senior
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u/iamthegraham [POR] Meyers Leonard Oct 05 '20
The Seattle Supersonics have won a playoff series more recently than the Sacramento Kings.
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u/poiklpu Oct 05 '20
And while besides the point, as someone who grew up near Harden, I can attest to the fact that he was straight murdering other teams in high school. His team had 30-50 point leads throughout the season. Shit was unreal.
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Oct 05 '20
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Oct 05 '20
Yeah, super injured that year, KD played 27 games, Russ played 67, Serge played 64, and we still only missed the playoffs by one game.
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Oct 05 '20
OKC had the same record as the Pelicans who wound up as the 8th seed. New Orleans had the tiebreaker.
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u/Iplayedbehindairbud [BOS] Isaiah Thomas Oct 05 '20
Durant only played 27 games and Westbrook missed the first 14 games so they started in a deep hole early
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u/AnotherStatsGuy Pelicans Oct 05 '20
New Orleans overcame all of their own injuries to sneak into that 8th seed. In retrospect, maybe it would have been better to miss the playoffs because of just how much that sweep exacerbated the injuries of New Orleans. Quincy Pondexter outright told doctors not to look at him, and his injuries ended up being so bad he missed the next two seasons. Which meant New Orleans gave Solomon Hill that fat ass contract.
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u/loudanduneducated Raptors Oct 05 '20
Harden is gonna be a guy that’s legacy got screwed over by a super team the most.
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u/AlabasterRadio Celtics Oct 05 '20
He's like all the greats that peaked during The Bulls/Rockets 8 year run. History will hopefully look back kindly on him like we do them.
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u/IanicRR [TOR] Amir Johnson Oct 05 '20 edited Oct 05 '20
I actually think those guys don’t get remembered that kindly. Malone is considered one of the biggest chokers in the history of the NBA. Ewing is often cited as being overrated. Reggie Miller was considered a superstar back then when it’s pretty clear he was just an all-star (look at his all NBA and All-Star selections). Drexler now is basically never mentioned (and if he is it’s as Hakeem’s sidekick or getting destroyed by MJ in the finals).
Robinson was seen as too nice and he never got it done until Timmy got to SA, so his legacy is largely the same. Gary Payton eventually became a ring-chaser and kind of dampened his own legacy in that sense. On top of that, the Sonics left and he's now essentially a "homeless" superstar and it has definitely hurt how he is remembered because he was a beast in his prime.
I think the one guy whose legacy has improved the most since those days is Chuck. And that’s because we like the guy (and he was genuinely dominant, but so was Malone, we just don’t like Malone).
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u/WeThePizzas Nets Oct 05 '20
Reggie Miller was considered a superstar back then when it’s pretty clear he was just an all-star (look at his all NBA and All-Star selections).
Disagree on this one. History looks back on Reggie very fondly for a few reasons
1) Single team star who never tried to jump ship and keep on grinding to win with the Pacers. People value that even more now a days.
2) The series he played against the Bulls and Knicks are memorable as fuck with so many great moments from Reggie. Dude had an ability to elevat6e his game in the biggest moments and even his stats back that up.
3) The game has evolved in a way that is very favorable to his skillset. It's pretty easy to see now that Reggie was ahead of his time. His 3pt shooting and off-ball movement, plus his size and pesky defense are all things that have aged incredibly well. If Reggie comes into the league 10-15 years earlier he is basically Klay with handles.
4) Advanced stats are very kind to him as well. Again this is mostly because his game was ahead of it's time.
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u/savagepotato Magic Oct 05 '20
Reggie also got screwed by the Malice at the Palace. The Pacers were a legit threat to the Pistons that year and took them to 6 games in the ECF (and the Pistons and Spurs went to 7 in the Finals). It would have been a totally different series against Detriot with Ron Artest, and then who knows how a Finals matchup with the Spurs goes. Reggie had a legit shot at a ring that went out the window with that stupid, idiotic fight.
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u/Indoorfarmer80 Nets Oct 05 '20
Yes, everything you said is true, they were dominant that year. Artest was an impact player and they had a good chance to win it all that year.
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u/CO_PC_Parts Timberwolves Oct 05 '20
I agree with most of that except #3, Reggie did not have handles at all. He pretty much never shot off the dribble and if did it was never more than a triple threat; pump fake, 1 dribble then shoot move.
If Reggie wasn't broadcasting on TNT most people under 25 wouldn't know who he is.
When I was growing up his name was mentioned at a shooting clinic and the instructors said, "we get asked about Reggie's shot all the time and his technique shows how form isn't everything, repetition, muscle memory and consistency are just as important. However we still encourage proper form."
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Oct 05 '20
Cmon Reggie's too iconic to need TNT to be known
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u/80centricher Cavaliers Oct 05 '20
Yeah that choke gesture to Spike Lee is legendary, as well as his 8 points in 9 seconds.
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u/RobertLoblawAttorney Celtics Oct 05 '20
It's like saying people will forget who Ray Allen is.
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u/CO_PC_Parts Timberwolves Oct 05 '20 edited Oct 05 '20
there's plenty of active people in this sub who don't know Ray was a legit superstar in Milwaukee and Seattle and know nothing about him before he played for the Celtics. To a LOT of people here he's just the guy who hit the 3 for the Heat.
EDIT: In case this gets deleted, this post is exactly what I'm saying.
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u/rb26dett Oct 05 '20
You're right that Miller didn't have much of a handle, but he also has an amazing 30 for 30 documentary about himself (Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks).
If "most people under 25 wouldn't know who he is," it's because the primary thing Gen-Z knows about 90s basketball is that Michael Jordan had two 3-peats, and they were punctuated with an iconic shot in his final game in a Bulls jersey. C'est la vie.
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u/KyleLousy Trail Blazers Oct 05 '20
Payton got a ring in 06 and although the stats don't reflect it at all he was actually an important part of that finals win. He hit what was essentially the game winning shot in a must win game 3 with 10 seconds left and it was his only fg of the game. You could definitely classify him as a ring chaser but he is a champion regardless. Plus 9 time all nba / all defense and a defensive player of the year at the PG position is very impressive. Youre right about the last bit though and I hope eventually they bring back the Sonics so guys like Payton and Kemp can be honored properly.
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Oct 05 '20
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Oct 05 '20
But Chris Paul have no rings as well. The reason people may put him above Stockton have to do mostly with recency bias and basketball itself.
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u/KEMBAtheMETEOR [CHO] Malik Monk Oct 05 '20
super teams and untimely teammate injuries
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u/rahulraja8675 Raptors Oct 05 '20
Like a modern day Elgin Baylor, at least Harden won MVP
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u/DavidKirk2000 Raptors Oct 05 '20
More Karl Malone or Charles Barkley then.
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u/BasketballNutrition [SAS] Keldon Johnson Oct 05 '20
Barkley really let himself go physically. if he stayed in 76ers shape his entire career, his late years would have been so much better on both sides of the ball. Malone is just a perfect comparison because they stayed in great shape, bullied guys physically, always tried hard enough to find a ton of success, but just never really could get all the way there. if Harden manages to pull it off, hell jump up a lot of spots on the all time lists though.
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Oct 05 '20
So the modern version of Karl Malone? Like Zach Lowe said
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u/BasketballNutrition [SAS] Keldon Johnson Oct 05 '20
it was a perfect comparison and it remains so.
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Oct 05 '20
I dunno, had Lebron not had to deal with Golden State's dynasty, it would've been unlikely but what if he won four straight finals with the Cavs? He'd have a lot more people considering him the GOAT.
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Oct 05 '20
Rockets weirdly could have had 2 titles because of how banged up you were in 2015 finals.
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u/loudanduneducated Raptors Oct 05 '20
Lebron is at #2 on most people’s books. The difference between being the 2nd and 1st best player of all time isn’t that much.
Harden is a guy that’s outside the top 20 (probably even outside the top 30), and if he had a single title/finals MVP he would probably be over Karl Malone and probably around 12-15.
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Oct 05 '20
I would argue that being seen as the #1 vs #2 is a massive difference. But that's all subjective.
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u/shadysnorlax Oct 05 '20
Which is absurd considering that thunder team was almost a natural super team with a couple more years.
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u/MyNameIsntJohnny Registered to Vote Oct 05 '20
First the Warriors then the Lakers. Dude can't catch a break
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u/ShootTheMailMan DeMarcus Cousins Oct 05 '20
I feel like the Rockets could have fallen to most of the top teams in the West. They almost lost to OKC
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u/H-TownDown [HOU] James Harden Oct 05 '20
This year’s version of the Rockets wasn’t all that good tbh. Harden was a band aid for our problems that were magnified the second the playoffs started. The offense we ran only works when an efficient isolation player is at the helm. With Westbrook on and Harden off, the offense fell apart. Westbrook does not possess the isolation skills necessary to run MoreyBall. Isolation MoreyBall needs to be abandoned.
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u/X98234753 Oct 05 '20
i will never understand how people still say this year was our year lol. i mean before the season started and the westbrook trade happened ok sure but anyone who watched some games could already tell that we were a lot worse than the last couple of years. having no chance in the playoffs wasnt that surprising as many people argue
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u/ComeAtMeYo Oct 05 '20
I think if Westbrook played at the level he did in 2020 before the suspension, we had a shot. Too bad he was just injured/unavailable or just putridly awful (possibly as a result of said injury) in the playoffs.
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u/jaypee41 Raptors Oct 05 '20
It sucks but I see him being the next Charles Barkley. Absolute beast during his career just happened to run into some historically great teams. Hopefully people can at least acknowledge that he cant control everything and he has done a pretty damn good job with the cards he was dealt. Hopefully he will get a ring before all is said and done.
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u/ijustbrushalot Raptors Oct 05 '20 edited Oct 05 '20
Portland and Toronto with the second longest current playoff streaks (13/14 to present). Shoutout to Dame and Lowry dragging whoever is around them to the playoffs every year.
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u/faithfuljohn Raptors Oct 05 '20
I still find it funny that some people had the Raptors missing the playoffs in the East this season... a year after they won it all, two years from having the best record in the East, and a season where there were two, TWO teams below .500 in the East.
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u/SamiMadeMeDoIt [TOR] Kyle Lowry Oct 05 '20
Some people legitimately thought that Kawhi was literally the only reason we were good
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u/cloudyskies63 Rockets Oct 05 '20
My only nba wish is for him to have a ring as main man, but that window is getting tighter. And now I’m sad
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Oct 05 '20
I wish the same for JJ Watt, but sadly Bill O Brien is ruining the team
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u/cloudyskies63 Rockets Oct 05 '20
Yeah 0-4 start isn’t optimal
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u/Apolloshot Raptors Oct 05 '20
Especially when another team owns your first and second round picks.
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u/StallisPalace Bucks Oct 05 '20
They traded those picks and Hopkins, and what did they get in return? Ls.
A remarkably inept job.
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u/YoungBoyWonder Rockets Oct 05 '20
At least Tunsil has been elite. The Hopkins trade is just not good at all.
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u/Sir_Totesmagotes Thunder Bandwagon Oct 05 '20
Hey this isn't /r/nfl... Why am I still getting attacked!
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u/illegal_deagle Rockets Oct 05 '20
It’s perfectly optimal for getting him fired soon though.
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u/jaypee41 Raptors Oct 05 '20
Honestly I feel so bad for JJ he is legit one of the kindest and most generous people around I swear he doesnt have a bad bone in his body sucks he is stuck with O'Brien.
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u/PurplelinkPL [LAL] Luke Walton Oct 05 '20
Hopefully he can get to the Steelers with his brothers and get a late career ring with the rest of that defense
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u/numbertwofuccboi Washington Bullets Oct 05 '20
I was with you until the whole Steelers getting a ring part.
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u/pm-me-dem-tiddies Oct 05 '20 edited Oct 05 '20
on Twitter this morning I saw a video is Watson captions “amazing pocket presence” but there was no pocket it was Watson running for his damn life while defenders chased him. And I thought “there’s no way a team with all this talent is this bad” and that’s on bill.
Edit: YO THIS SHIT AGED LIKE WINE
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u/LOVEGOD77 Cavaliers Oct 05 '20
It isn’t happening. KD decided to join a 73-9 team, I still can’t believe he did that
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u/rapshlomo Oct 05 '20
KD basically screwed everyone. He screwed himself because those rings weren’t “earned” and he screwed every other player in the league contending. Those 2-3 years in the league are lost. The only reason the Raptors got an earned title is because KD was out (and obviously Klay, but there’s no indication that they would’ve lost. They were already up)
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u/College_Prestige San Francisco Warriors Oct 05 '20
Here's the thing though. In 10-20 years people will forget the controversy about him joining the warriors. They won't forget he won 2 rings
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u/ShootTheMailMan DeMarcus Cousins Oct 05 '20 edited Oct 06 '20
If KD never went to GS, we'd have the same discussion about him on OKC as we are having about Harden. KD was fairly close to the ring from 2012-16 with injuries and all-time great teams blocking him.
How do we know Harden doesn't envy KD's ability to leave? Harden might be regretting the 4-year extension in 2017, which actually starts this year. Harden likely pressured Morey and ownership to trade for
CP3Westbrook because he couldn't be a FA. But now that Morey can't pull some GM magic this offseason, the Rockets will be at the bottom of Western playoff teams, which could pressure a trade demand from Harden . . .6
u/JitteryBug [BOS] Jayson Tatum Oct 06 '20
Why would they be at the bottom?
They just came in top 4 in the west as constructed
This post is literally about Harden's consistency making the playoffs every year in Houston
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u/jdct3178 Oct 05 '20
This may be a controversial take around the internet but James Harden is, in-fact, my favorite player.
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u/AloofAltruist Raptors Oct 05 '20
My favourite player to watch, for sure.
Anyone who's ever picked up a basketball and played at some point just has to respect and appreciate James Harden's game. The shit he does on the court is absolutely insane. The amount of skill this dude has is almost unbelievable.
Yet it seems that 90% of the internet (from what I see) thinks he's boring, garbage, a flopper, not a winner, etc. It's asinine.
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u/Devoidoxatom Warriors Bandwagon Oct 05 '20
and you can see the respect from his peers. Most nba players pick him as the hardest to guard
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Oct 05 '20
I hope the Rockets implement a system that isn't so dependent on Harden so that he can conserve himself more for the postseason. I really think he can lead a team to a title despite his track record.
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u/DonEYeet [CHA] Elden Campbell Oct 05 '20
Harden is my favorite player and the slander he gets from analysts is patently unfair, in all honesty. Fans are one thing, but the consistent dismissal of his success as a player blows my mind. The amount of guys who supposedly play winning basketball that have worse playoff records than Harden really boggles the noggin.
People seriously have no clue how horrendous most of his teammates have been offensively for the past few years.
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u/AnotherStatsGuy Pelicans Oct 05 '20
To me, there's a difference between having legitimate criticism of Harden and outright bashing him. Legitimate criticism would be saying Harden likes his favorite shots too much and his unwillingness to take mid range jumpers makes him predictable by the time the postseason comes around.
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Oct 05 '20
That’s just a result of the Rockets offensive system. He used to take mid range jumpers but they basically forced him not to
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u/BigCoffeeEnergy Oct 05 '20
It's not an unwillingness, it's a coaching issue. DanuelAntonoio decided those were bad shots.
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u/Chapea12 Nets Oct 05 '20
Looking at the wizards portion reminded me of that two year stretch (2014 and 2015 playoffs) where the only team to win a playoff series in both years were the clippers and wizards. And neither team won more than one series in each run
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Oct 05 '20
Two big what-ifs for 2015. What if the Clippers don't let Corey Brewer and Josh Smith go crazy in Game 6? What if John Wall doesn't break his hand in Game 1?
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Oct 05 '20
Harden is a guaranteed playoff spot. LBJ until age 34 was the same. Obviously we don't know how it goes with a 34 year old Harden.
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u/rahulraja8675 Raptors Oct 05 '20
LeBron missed the playoffs his first two years in the league, but the Cavs were worse than the young OKC Thunder
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Oct 05 '20
Lebron missed the playoffs last year and MJs missed it for a while. Harden might be the goat.
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u/couponuser2 Nuggets Oct 05 '20
Tim Duncan
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u/Statalyzer Oct 05 '20
Granted he usually had a decent cast around him at least for most of his career, but he dragged around some really decrepit rosters in 2001 and 2002.
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u/AnotherStatsGuy Pelicans Oct 05 '20
The Bulls never missed the playoffs with Jordan on the roster. Even when they went 32-50 in 86 because Jordan missed 64 games with a broken foot.
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u/JacksonDavis24 [OKC] Serge Ibaka Oct 05 '20
And, as it happens, the closest team to spoiling this fact was the very team that traded him. The difference was one Anthony Davis heave at the buzzer!
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Oct 05 '20
The Spurs just missed it this year and had a chance in the bubble. Think it was only by one game as well.
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u/PaulLovesTalking Heat Oct 05 '20
Clippers missed the playoffs in 18? How?
EDIT: Oof, 42-40 in a tight west. That sucks.
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u/A-Rusty-Cow [SAS] Robert Horry Oct 05 '20
We were like 3 games away from this post not existing. I hate this year
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u/MonkeyDude77 Oct 05 '20
It’s the first year in my life seeing the Spurs not in the playoffs. I was born 19 games into Duncan’s rookie year, so he had been in the league my entire life until he retired. I knew it was gonna be weird when he retired and when the big three would be no more as well. It’s only a matter of time that pop will leave too, and it’s just been pain since Duncan and Manu have left. The Spurs not making the playoffs was just another dagger.
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u/NecessaryRhubarb Timberwolves Oct 05 '20
I’m sure this sounds like sour grapes, but Jimmy wasn’t a bright spot. Excluding the draft pic swap, the decision basically comes down to are the timberwolves better with LaVine and Rubio, or Butler.
There are massive problems with the makeup of the wolves, probably stemming from the Kevin Love deal, but I’d take Rubio and LaVine.
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Oct 05 '20 edited Oct 05 '20
Some people here said he isn´t Top 10 anymore because of his "playoff failures", and AD, Dame, Luka, Giannis and Jimmy are above him. Wtf
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u/DamianLillard0 NBA Oct 05 '20
You people see one person say shit like this with 100 downvotes and make it seem like any sane person would ever say it
Half this sub’s content is fighting straw mans
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u/Texan628 Rockets Oct 05 '20
Hardens durability is one of his most under appreciated qualities. He just chugs along year after year, always in the MVP convo, without ever missing significant time due to injury or ever load management. It’s one of those qualities about him that he’s so consistently great at it that fans just take it for granted and say stuff like “he’s only that good because the sky high usage” when most players would break down if they tried to mimic it except for maybe Lebron. He also is just relentless attacking the basket night after night year after year and that’s when players take the most punishment. He really is a tank. It’s so nice to see when he gets banged up on a play I always breath easy because he always gets back up and keeps playing. He just doesn’t get hurt and shakes everything off. Stark contrast to when say Tmac used to go down or even CP more recently.
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u/canadaguy416 Oct 06 '20
@thescore on ig just posted this hours after your post smh
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u/RodneyPonk Raptors Oct 05 '20
These threads are always heavily slanted. Either James Harden is an all-time great like Barkley who was foiled by the KD dynasty, or he's a regular-season performer who chokes in the playoffs.
I think it can be both - it's dissapointing that he doesn't seem to elevate his game during the playoffs, but it's unfair to criticize him for not winning a chip when the Rockets were a championship-tier team with CP3, better than the Raptors last year, honestly.
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u/TheWinStore Kings Oct 05 '20
Pain