**NBA FINALS THREAD - RAPTORS DEFY GRAVITY**

[sohi 23]

Folks are acting like he had 15 points on 30% shooting.

I said right when the game ended that he settles far too much for that stepback and deserves criticism. The turnover on the inbounds pass was terrible, but generally I'm not going to be surprised if someone that has the ball as much as him has turnovers. He most certainly deserves blame.

Yes, he needed to be better. I just don't see how that automatically means he choked.

Like @dcallamerican said, I think a lot of us just have different definitions for that term. Is what it is.

I never said he played bad.

I’m saying he’s not conditioned and he gets tired during critical moments every single year.

Teams entire strategies are let’s attack this guy on defense in games 1-4 & make him work for everything because we know he’ll fade during critical moments (like defensive possessions during the 4th quarter) in games 5-7.

This has literally been the same story for his entire career. I’m not down with the “well he wasn’t supposed to win anyway so it’s excused” angle that I see.

People boost him up during the season (deservingly so... he goes crazy) but wanna gloss over his playoff failures cuz they like him and his analytic play.

 

[WASHED KING]

Word. That’s the thing. He wasn’t trying to miss. How is it luck if he got the intended result?

He got a shooter's roll...that's why they teach you to put arc and rotation on your jumpshot. Increases the room for error.

 

[art vandelay]

GOAT free throw shooter. Except in that last one where he shot 58% and missed 5 free throws in a game that was decided by 5 points. But other than all his failures he's the best player there's ever been

Is that the same game where they had the botched 3 on 1, for no points?

 

[Maximus Meridius]

This is Harden's averages over his last 7 Playoff elimination games

26/5/6 with 6 TO per game on 37/32/76 from the floor.... in those 7 games combined he's a negative 72 in +/- ... his last four years -27, -28, -13, -10. Dude has been atrocious when they need him to play his best basketball, not just off, not a little slippage... these are Gerald Green shooting numbers man.

 

[kingjay718]

And much praise to Kawhi Leonard and CJ McCollum for making the mid range game look sexy this Playoffs.

 

[HOU$TON]

GOAT free throw shooter. Except in that last one where he shot 58% and missed 5 free throws in a game that was decided by 5 points. But other than all his failures he's the best player there's ever been

Ok

 

[Lovetohate3000]

And much praise to Kawhi Leonard and CJ McCollum for making the mid range game look sexy this Playoffs.

I love it. All these nerds that I always argue with because they tell me mid-range is worthless.

 

[wavycrocket]

*****s talking about bron and he’s not even in the playoffs.

Give it a rest damn.

Playoffs have been amazing without him too. Didn’t miss him at all.

 

[WASHED KING]

And much praise to Kawhi Leonard and CJ McCollum for making the mid range game look sexy this Playoffs.

Now if only 2k can let me make open middies.....one can dream.

 

[Maximus Meridius]

And much praise to Kawhi Leonard and CJ McCollum for making the mid range game look sexy this Playoffs.

He hit about 4 of them joints in the same spot. He was cold.

 

[JD617]

Two things here

1) there is a 1000% a one sided rivalry here with Rockets fans, for atleast the past decade there fanbase has hated the Lakers despite it being pretty one sided Kobe's entire tenure

You MLGA guys have been typing the same exact essay after essay after essay after essay every day all season long, but it's one-sided?

And I'm not even defending Harden, he could've and should've been better.

 

[xbiker47]

And much praise to Kawhi Leonard and CJ McCollum for making the mid range game look sexy this Playoffs.

 

[art vandelay]

Playoffs have been amazing without him too. Didn’t miss him at all.

What if the playoffs were actually good every year, but everyone else gets overshadowed because of Bron and whatever the hell he does.

 

[wavycrocket]

And much praise to Kawhi Leonard and CJ McCollum for making the mid range game look sexy this Playoffs.

Steph & KD were monsters from the mid range last year too. I think people have “mid range being a bad shot” confused. Most of the elite players (sans Harden) use the mid range to a degree.

Long twos aren’t mid range. That’s the difference. A long two is a bad shot. A clean mid range shot isn’t.

 

[wavycrocket]

What if the playoffs were actually good every year, but everyone else gets overshadowed because of Bron and whatever the hell he does.

Beat up on weak east teams for 3 rounds then get crushed in the finals. We tired of seeing that.

Thank God!

 

[ballinsam23]

Imagine how frustrating it must be as a player when most of the media is calling your shot lucky

 

[trynafeelmink]

You MLGA guys have been typing the same exact essay after essay after essay after essay every day all season long, but it's one-sided?

And I'm not even defending Harden, he could've and should've been better.

As far as Lakers vs Rockets.... yes it's one sided Laker fans over the past year (and it's far more than just Laker fans btw) have had heat for Harden. but prior to that your not finding many L.A fans who have a true dislike for the rockets as a team, same goes for Lakers fans & Kings, Lakers fans & The Blazers, Lakers fans & the Nuggets.

Outside of the Celtics & Spurs (Barely) the Lakers have nothing but one sided "rivalries". I could understand the hate while the Lakers were curb stomping their teams yearly, but the same fanbases have been steady on the hate ever since Kobe popped his achilles. So in turn there players/teams are gonna get clowned on too, but it's rare that your gonna find a Lakers fan saying that they hate those teams or actively looking for them to not succeed.

IDGAF if Harden was a Vancouver grizzly, he's gonna catch slander to the day his career is over if people keep hyping him up yearly as we watch him crash & burn yearly.

Death, taxes & playoff harden

 

[amitt5504]

Imagine how frustrating it must be as a player when most of the media is calling your shot lucky

It was. One bounce and no issue. It was short and bounced around.

 

[wavycrocket]

Any word on @buc em ?

 

[junglejim]

Any word on @buc em ?

Who cares?

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

It was. One bounce and no issue. It was short and bounced around.

A lucky shot would be if it bounced off the top of the shot clock or if he wasn't even looking at the rim or something

 

[alchemist iq]

A game 7 buzzer beater.... bounce or no bounce. It went in.....

 

[B Sox]

Any word on @buc em ?

He posted a emoji a couple pages back

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Never going to stop believing in Kyle Lowry.

He could 0 for his next 400 and I still want him on my team.

 

[MajinZuub]

Not this lucky shot **** today guys please