Texaggie7nine said:
As a Rockets fan, I have no issue with the numbers Harden puts up in Playoffs. My issue is his clutch performance when it counts. In big games when it's dire circumstances, Harden rarely shows up.
People like Lebron, Stef, ect when it comes down to a big moment in the final seconds, they want the ball and they make it. Hell, Curry was pretty much a no show for much of the series, but when it came time to close out, he hit everything he needed to. Harden generally seems to drive the lane, not get fouled and lose the ball in a turnover, or just passes off the ball to other players.
I think this is a fair criticism of Harden's game, that and his timing on missed free throws. Harden has gotten better in this aspect though. Came up clutch several times in the regular season and even a few times this year in the playoffs.
I think the tough task for Morey is going to be surrounding the right people around Harden to be successful in the playoffs. This year the supporting cast was a big letdown. Capela, Green, and CP3 were all underwhelming. Going to be tough to make big changes at this point with the contracts we have on the books.
Since you brought up LeBron and Steph, the Cavs were LeBron's team and the Warriors belong to Steph. They surrounded Curry with guys who step up when he falters. Kind of a nice luxury to do nothing for almost three quarters but look like a hero when you come up big in the 4th. The Rockets wouldve been blown out by the Warriors if Harden did that. LeBron had Kyrie, Love, the good version of JR Smith, and was barely able to pull off the upset coming back from down 3-1.
The best thing that could happen for the Rockets at this point would be to continue to tinker with the lineup as best as you can to improve the team, and hope that the Durant to NY rumors are true. Harden isn't going anywhere nor should he.