Pitted Against Each Other For Months, Dwyane Wade Comments On James Harden’s Playoff Duds

The story of James Harden in the NBA is a complicated one. The Beard has been one of the most dynamic scorers and superstars the league has had for well over a decade. He was the 2018 league MVP, an 11-time All-Star, and a bona fide future Hall of Famer. But Harden also has a big absence on his resume — a championship. He’s only been to one NBA Finals and has unfortunately built a reputation for not showing up in the playoffs. Now his Clippers are one game away from a first-round exit, adding to the 35-year-old’s legacy of lacking the clutch gene.

It doesn’t help that Harden has been the subject of a comparable conversation that involves Miami Heat Dwyane Wade. For months, fans have dissected the two players’ statistics and accomplishments to determine who was the better player, particularly at the shooting guard position.

Each man has had his critics and his defenders, but the consensus seems to fall to Wade. Why? Because the Hall of Famer won three NBA Championships.

Neither baller has addressed this seemingly random feud, but Wade did give his thoughts on Harden’s playoff woes during the latest edition of his podcast. “I’m a big James Harden fan,” Wade began when the Clippers/Nuggets series came up in conversation.  “Watching him last game, what I witnessed is sometimes he gets into a very passive state. He’s such a great playmaker, and he sets the table for everyone. Sometimes that works against you.”

Wade later commented on how Harden seemed “unsure” at certain points whether he should be aggressive or attempt to set up the Clippers’ offense. “He couldn’t get into the flow of the game because he started off so passive,” he added, before sharing some helpful advice to the Beard ahead of a crucial Game 6. “James start off aggressive. Be you, dog. Go get it right away, and then allow the game to open up from there. Then the Clippers will really be dangerous.”

Hopefully, Harden is listening. In Game 5, he only had 11 points and didn’t seem willing to take any chances against the Nuggets. In Game 4, he had 15 points and 11 assists, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Aaron Gordon’s walk-off slam dunk.

Shaquille O’Neal commented on Harden’s playoff anomaly as well on today’s NBA on TNT broadcast. However, Diesel thinks that if the Clippers let him iso, he could be much more effective as a scorer.

Can The Beard knock away his past and recreate his future? We’ll find out in just a few hours.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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