But they’re only unviable in that they’re trying to “compete” with the lakers, Yankees etc. No one would say Everton or Athletic Bilbao are unviable, but they don’t have the same goals as Manchester city or real Madrid. That these bad teams attempt to have similar payrolls causes a bunch of problems.
It’s just silly narratives like you say.
Americans can’t contemplate success as being anything other than winning championships.
Lol @ people defending Harden’s playoff record.
Dude is an all-time playoff pants shitter. Probably the greatest “throw a bunch of random guys around him and win 50 regular season games” guy ever though.
Kyrie hit one of the greatest shots in playoff history to win a title. Harden took a shit on the floor against a bad Spurs team in an elimination game. They are not the same.
Harden’s performance in the Rockets’ 114-75 loss Thursday was an all-time great choke job — not just because he, a player who had one of the best offensive seasons in NBA history, scored 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting with six turnovers and six fouls, but also because of the circumstances of it:
The Spurs were without their best player — one of the best players in the NBA — Kawhi Leonard. The Rockets were at home in an elimination game. Harden had something to prove after his poor close-out to Game 5.
And then… that.
Kyrie…. Celtics…. Kyrie… pre-Labron Cavs. /discussion
Great supporting player though, no question about that. An elite Derek Fischer type.
That Spurs team had over 60 wins! They were easily the second best team behind the warriors that year.
No one is saying Harden is or has been great in the playoffs. But, it’s a bunch of his teams losing to better teams and people acting surprised in retrospect. He’s not Curry or Lebron. The only player to win a title without help of late was Dirk. That’s it! Every other title was one by a team with multiple stars, and we’re surprised Harden hasn’t got one? It’s weird.
If you swap him for kyrie in those series those teams all get swept.
Kyrie has as many all nba teams as DDR. 3 less than LMA.
One fewer than Rudy Goebert.
Also King of Diamonds and the only active player with a jersey retired by both an NBA team and a strip club. Hang out for the Lebron story after the Harden story for a compare/constrast.
Dirk had like 3 of the top 15 3 point shooters of all time on his team.
It wasn’t a terrible team, but would you have that Dallas team ahead of any other championship team of late?
I recently rewatched a bunch of that series. Those games were rough. Low scoring, and if we want to talk about choking…
No and yeah none of those guys were stars at that point in their careers.
Just don’t want there to be the narrative that it was Dirk and scrubs.
Wade choked by not letting LeBron run the team. LeBron did nothing wrong.
Barry out.
Like I had forgotten how that series actually was but there was a YouTube video with extended highlights from each game I watched at 2 am during the pandemic. It was like last night’s bucks/nets for an entire series.
Kawhi was out. Just stop.
ETA lol that Spurs team got swept next round.
By an absolutely elite warriors team. Why are we pigeonholing the 2010s?
Spurs won 3/4 in the regular season that year, including gasp a game without Kawhii. They were a really good team! Much better than Houston! The Rockets second best player was Clint Capella. San Antonio had LMA as their 4th best player.
A team with: kawhii, gasol, Parker, ginobli, lma beat a team of Harden, Gordon, Capella, Ariza, Beverly.
Bro.
“ Harden, a player who had one of the best offensive seasons in NBA history, scored 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting with six turnovers and six fouls, but also because of the circumstances of it:
The Spurs were without their best player — one of the best players in the NBA — Kawhi Leonard”
Probably the worst game an MVP candidate has had in recent memory in an elimination game. Unless I’m missing another Harden game.
You’re also vastly, vastly overrating those Spurs players at the points in their careers. TP, Manu, Pau, etc. were barely 10 PPG and at the end of their basketball lives. TD was 17 PPG and on his last leg. They won 61 games. Rockets won 55. Kawhi was by far their best player (25 PPG) and was OUT. And Harden dropped an all time pants shitting.
And we’re shocked that a player had a bad game after being overmatched for the previous 6 games? Being guarded by Kawhii, schemed by Pop and having Trevor Ariza taking the second most shots and having 0 other creators/ball handlers on the team?
Why would we ever be surprised that Dantoni team lost to that Pop team? The only chance Houston had was for Harden to have the ball like 80% of the game and that’s hardly sustainable.
I, for one, am shocked a league MVP candidate went 2/11 for 10 pts with 6 TOs in an elimination game being guarded by a geriatric Manu and TP.
ETA sorry TP was out too
I just don’t believe in “shitting his pants” analysis. Just as I don’t think that Kyrie is clutch because that one shot went in and he would be a pants shitter if it rimmed out.
No one is doubting that he played horribly in that game. I just don’t think that proves he has the yips or something and I would pick a lesser talent over him.
Now there might be some idea to the thought that Harden is less effective in the playoffs. Let’s say his ability to create separation, which is tied with his ability to draw fouls, is effected by playoff officiating (just making that out now, of course we can find other reasons). Giannis at this point of his career is clearly less effective in the playoffs, but that’s not because he’s a pants shitter.
This isn’t just about Harden. I don’t think Chris Paul chokes and I don’t think he’ll be a clutch legend if the Suns make it to the finals this year.
Would it matter if he had 25 points? Losing but with a closer margin doesn’t get you anything. Dame has a worse playoff record than Harden despite his heroics.