After losing four out of their five games, the Clippers broke out of their funk as they defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 116-103. During the game, Paul George flooded the scene with 27 points while dime-maestro James Harden had 14 assists. However, in a bizarre occurrence, after passing the ball to Kawhi Leonard, Harden tried to block a corner three-point attempt by his teammate. His contest caused The Claw to miss what would’ve been a wide-open corner trey.
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Paul Pierce ripped into Harden for contesting his teammate’s shot out of the blue. He joined Skip Bayless and Keyshawn Johnson on Undisputed and showcased displeasure with The Beard’s inexplicable decision. The Truth was mystified as to how the team’s leadership could pave the way for such acts. The Clippers were up by 20 when this incident happened in the third quarter. However, Pierce wasn’t pleased by this act as “no lead is safe” in the NBA.
He highlighted that Kawhi Leonard who was the recipient of this bizarre move “threw his hands up”. Therefore, the forward rebuked Harden’s uncalled-for contest. For Pierce, this block attempt raises concern rather than tickles his funny bone. For the former Celtics forward, while the Clippers are one of the best teams, they are still crafting their identity and need more application. The unseriousness of the play made Pierce take a dig at Harden’s defensive commitment.
“You guys are still trying to find as a team coming down the stretch. When I look at it, it’s not just funny. This might be the best defense James Harden has played all year,” quipped The Truth
In his “defense”, Harden claimed that he was just trying to insert “energy” and “excitement” among his teammates. As per The Beard, he wanted to produce a comic effect to lighten up what has been a blurry period for the team.
James Harden explains his decision but can’t escape criticism
During the post-game conference, inquisitive reporters asked the 2018 MVP about being responsible for Leonard’s missed shot. According to Sportingnews’ Jacob Camenker, he said:
“I was trying to bring some excitement to this team. I think these last few weeks have been a fog for us. I think every team goes through it. So I think it was just me trying to create energy, and create a great vibe for this team. Maybe it would’ve been better if he had made the shot, but give them something to laugh about, some excitement,” explained James Harden
On X, fans weren’t convinced by his actions. In reaction to an ESPN video about the incident, one of the users claimed that Harden was not sober. The commenter wrote, “What in the world?? May need to drug test…”
Meanwhile, another commenter’s views aligned with Paul Pierce’s description. The Green Bay Packer fan explained, “That’s James Harden’s hand attempting to block Kawhi Leonard’s three-point attempt last night, which he missed. Positive: That’s some of the best defense James Harden has ever played. Negative: Harden and Leonard are teammates”
ClutchSports’ Editor Arlos Sara claimed that it was payback for one of Kawhi’s blocks on him in the past. Sara wrote, “The real reason why James Harden to block Kawhi” followed by a picture of Spurs’ Leonard stuffing a shot from the Rockets’ superstar.
Many fans found fault with Harden’s reasoning and disapproved of his actions. Apart from that, instead of creating a comic effect, the block attempt put a question mark on the Clippers’ leadership.
