Stephen A. Smith Picks Another Clippers Star Instead of Kawhi Leonard as the Difference Maker

In one of the most competitive first-round series of the NBA Playoffs, the Los Angeles Clippers were able to walk away victorious in a win-or-go-home situation, forcing a decisive Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets. Defeating the 2023 champions is no easy task, but the Clippers have proven to have the personnel to send the Nuggets home.

The Clippers are a defensive-minded team led by three gifted scorers in Norman Powell, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. Harden and Leonard, of course, are future Hall of Famers. Kawhi’s play has been reminiscent of his incredible playoff run in 2019, but Stephen A. Smith doesn’t believe he’ll be the X-factor in the series finale.

Instead, Smith pointed to Harden as the difference-maker in this highly anticipated matchup. The Beard has been inconsistent throughout this series, posting under 20 points in three of six contests. But LA would have already been making vacation plans if it weren’t for Harden’s Game 6 breakout, when he dropped 28 points and 8 assists in 47 minutes of play.

The Clippers are a much better team when Harden is on his game, and Stephen A. knows that. “[Harden] shows up and balls out the way he did Thursday night in Game 6, the Clippers are going to the next round,” Smith said. “He doesn’t, they’re going home. This is a legacy game for James Harden.”

The 57-year-old proceeded to sift through Harden’s regular-season accolades, including a 2018 league MVP, but stressed that his career is still missing memorable playoff success. However, that hasn’t stopped Stephen A. from predicting Harden to show up for this series from the beginning.

Stephen A. Smith predicted solid play from James Harden

James Harden has only made two truly inspiring playoff runs in his career, both with the Houston Rockets. He made the Western Conference Finals alongside Dwight Howard in 2014-15 before having another chance at a Finals berth with Chris Paul in 2018-19. Unfortunately for the 11-time All-Star, the Rockets were dispatched by the Warriors both times.

Despite Harden’s underwhelming playoff history, though, Stephen A. Smith was confident that the star guard would show up in the postseason before the Clippers-Nuggets series ever kicked off. With his prime quickly coming to an end, Smith knows Harden’s urgency to win has kicked up a notch.

“The word trust is too strong. But I believe Harden is going to show up in this series,” Smith said. “He’s got a team around him. He’s got Kawhi Leonard looking better than he’s looked in the past five or six years.

SAS continued, “[Hardin] has an exceptional coach, an exceptional defense behind him. I think James Harden shows up in this series, and I definitely think the Clippers beat Denver because of lack of depth, along with the new coach.”

Only time will tell if Harden can produce another big-time performance to help LA edge oust Denver on the road. However, without his excellent play throughout the entire season, the Clippers wouldn’t have this opportunity in the first place.