On the biggest stage
Now we get to the one real knock on Harden’s legacy and that is his reputation in the postseason.
Although there is still a ways to go before he retires, James still finds himself without a ring and what’s more, he also has several rather ugly playoff losses that many feel should have played out differently.
Just last season, you had the Rockets losing to the Durant-less Warriors in Game 6 of the second round.
In the 2018 Western Conference Finals – against the Warriors once more – there was the infamous Game 7 in which Harden’s Rockets missed 27 consecutive 3-pointers which would ultimately cost them their season.
Then there is the worst of them all; the lowest point of James Harden’s career. The anaemic 10-point showing against the Kawhi-less Spurs in game 6 of the 2017 Western Conference Semifinals which, again, resulted in Houston’s season coming to an end.
Those are just three recent examples of James Harden’s playoff shortcomings but if you look at his entire playoff career, his production drops off almost across the board.
Now, that isn’t to say he’s bad in the playoffs, just that he rarely reaches the level of play he showcases in the regular season.
Why is this?
Well, some of it will be due to the fact that defensive intensity picks up in the playoffs and teams will be more focused in on Harden.
This would explain the drop off in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage.
A lot of it also has to do with the way playoff basketball is officiated. Simply put, Harden doesn’t get the same calls he does in the regular season as you will also see his free throw attempts often decrease come playoff time too!
Don’t get me wrong, “Playoff Harden” is still a really good player, but to this point, we haven’t seen him elevate his game in the biggest of moments.
Guys like LeBron, Michael Jordan and Kobe all have/had another level they could reach when the games matter the most and that’s what sets them apart from a guy like James Harden.