The NBA playoffs are pressure time, and there is an old saying the pressure either bursts pipes or makes diamonds.
There are a number of stars across the league who are under added pressure because of their career circumstances, but one player is in a make-or-break situation more than anyone else: James Harden.
Although he has been one of the league’s best players for the past several years, he has failed to come through when it has mattered most.
At age 32, his legacy may be riding on what happens to him and his Philadelphia 76ers over the next several weeks.
Harden Has Come Up Small Under Pressure Over The Years
Just a few years ago, the Los Angeles area-native went on an amazing run where he led the league in scoring for three straight seasons while putting up numbers that only Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain have ever achieved.
But come postseason time, Harden has failed to play up to his expectations, and his teams have suffered some painful defeats.
In 2012, as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, he appeared in the NBA Finals, but he averaged just 12.4 points a game and shot only 38.5 percent from the field as the Miami Heat took the championship in five games.
In his second season as a member of the Houston Rockets, Harden suffered a crushing defeat when Damian Lillard made a series-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer of Game 6 of the first round of the playoffs.
May 2, 2014: Damian Lillard for the series. pic.twitter.com/RXEN3vZ5ry
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) May 2, 2021
The 2017-18 season appeared to be Harden’s best shot at a ring, as the Rockets had a 65-17 regular season record and went into the Western Conference Finals versus the defending world champion Golden State Warriors as the favorites in the minds of many.
But after taking a 3-2 series lead, Houston dropped the next two contests as Harden shot just 10-of-24 and 12-of-29 in those games.
Ryan Hollins really said James Harden wasn’t at fault for Houston’s 27 straight missed 3’s in the 2018 WCF like he didn’t miss 10 on his own.
And then he had the audacity to say none of their shots were open looks and Harden took what the defense gave him.
Did he watch game 7? pic.twitter.com/uJeRw75ZrY
— Noah Magaro-George (@N_Magaro) June 19, 2019
Last year, his Brooklyn Nets blew a 3-2 series lead against the Milwaukee Bucks, losing Game 7 at home by four points, and Harden again was lackluster, going 5-of-17 in that contest.
He is well past the point where no one seems to care much about what he does in the regular season because the real question is whether he will play up to his standards in potential elimination games while delivering victories.
He Has Had A Bad Season (At Least By His Standards)
The superstar guard has failed to play anywhere close to his accustomed level this season.
His overall shooting percentage fell from 46.6 last season to 41.0 this year, and he only hit 33.0 percent of his 3-pointers during the regular season.
So far in the Sixers’ first-round postseason series with the Toronto Raptors, Harden’s newfound ineptitude has continued.
He made just 6-of-17 shots in Game 1, and his Game 2 performance was even worse, as he shot 3-of-9 from the field for just 14 points.
The Sixers may be able to beat the Raptors without Harden playing his best, as they hold a 2-0 series lead, especially if Rookie of the Year candidate Scottie Barnes is unable to return from his foot injury soon enough.
But the real test could come starting in the next round, when Philly would, at least presumably, have to go up against the top-seeded Heat.
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