In recent years, James Harden has developed a reputation for losing his quality as a player, right around the playoffs. However, this season, ‘The Beard’ seems to be on a mission to prove this all wrong. After all, in Kawhi Leonard’s absence, Harden has stepped up as a facilitator for his team leading them in the series opener against the Dallas Mavericks. In a post-game interview after the Los Angeles Clippers’ Game 1 win, Harden asserted himself as one of the shooters for the team in the Claw’s absence, believing in each other.
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Harden tried to prove himself as an unselfish, team-player, contrary to the reputation surrounding him. Gilbert Arenas recently explained in an episode of ‘Gil’s Arena’ why fans refuse to believe this claim coming from Harden himself. Arenas highlighted how players such as James Harden had manipulated the game with their untraditional approach on the floor. He said,
“When you manipulate the game to your ability, it doesn’t look traditional, and it looks just too easy like there is no effort, people dislike it.”
The 3x All-Star compared Harden’s dominance to Kobe Bryant, who had also gained notoriety for being unstoppable. In the same way, Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic have also gained a similar notoriety in the league.
Despite showing such dominance, Harden’s recent performances in the playoffs have been rather underwhelming. The 3x scoring champion has faced tough luck in the playoffs since leaving the Houston Rockets and has mostly seen first or second-round exits in recent years. One of the panelists declared him a ‘no show’ during Games 6 and 7 of the crucial playoff series.
It’s true that Harden alone isn’t capable of carrying the offense for the Clippers like he once used to do. However, he appears to be just the perfect point guard to elevate the Clippers, this postseason. Even though the team has lost the other two games of the series, Harden has only improved his numbers with every game.
How has James Harden performed in the playoffs in his career?
James Harden has made it into the postseason on 15 occasions and is still seeking his first NBA title. He has played 163 playoff games in his career, with a 15-15 playoff series record and an 87-79 playoff games record.
He has only made four Conference Finals appearances, with his longest playoff run being in 2012 with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately, OKC was eliminated in the NBA Finals by LeBron James’ Miami Heat that same year.
In his four Conference Finals appearances, Harden has averaged 22.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists, per Stat Muse. On the other hand, in his only Finals appearance, Harden only averaged 12.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in five games in that series against the Heat.
Perhaps, he could turn those numbers around if he manages to find the perfect balance with the Clippers. However, the Clippers might need to reassess their strategies on both ends if they wish to consider any chances of overcoming Dallas’ offensive prowess in the upcoming Game 4.
