Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets: 6 storylines to follow
By Ethan Becker
Can Harden beat his slump?
James Harden is one of two 2018-19 MVP candidates, along with the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Still, his postseason production leaves a lot to be desired. In his last three seasons. James Harden has averaged 36 points, nine assists, 6.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and five turnovers per game.
However, in those playoff runs, he’s averaged 28.3 points, 7.7 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and five turnovers a game. Harden also had an infamous 13 turnover/14 point game in 2015. The Rockets opponent? The Warriors.
In his last series against the Jazz, Harden averaged 27 points and seven rebounds, and in the Rockets’ last series against the Warriors, Harden averaged 28 points, five rebounds, and two steals, all while leading the Rockets in turnover percentage, with 15.4%.
Regardless of how well Harden performed during the regular season, he needs to start stepping up during the playoffs if he wants to start being seen in the same tier as LeBron James or Kevin Durant.