This Finals is absolutely boring but to me, reinforces my belief in Harden + the Rockets system both offensively and defensively. With CP3 out, the Rockets probably still have a better supporting cast -- but it's not by much, especially with a very limited LMAM. Harden didn't pull off a win in game 6 or 7 but neither has LeBron freakin' James. LeBron is 0-3 and you could argue that the Dubs were playing harder at the end of our series because they were both elimination games for them. No, Harden didn't have a transcendent game to win the series but it's just incredibly incredibly hard against this stacked Warriors team.
I was thinking the same thing until I read someone saying that the more casual NBA fans don't understand the full picture and just get caught up in the GOAT player vs. GOAT team Round IV narrative. They don't know/care that it's not even close to being an even match-up or that the Dub's biggest test was absolutely in the WCF vs. our Rockets.
Any and all sports league depend on casual and or bandwagon fans. A small percentage of Nba fans are the ones that post on message boards and follow the league really close.
All star back court combines for 21 points and you still win an NBA Finals game on the road. Obviously no team is unbeatable but their margin for error is just ridiculous. Just imagine an NBA world where KD didn't join the Dubs. There would at least be 4 LEGIT contenders without any overwhelming favorite. We only get glimpses of prime Curry (game 2) and prime KD (game 3) now because they don't need to play amazing every game to have a chance to win.
you are not a homer...in reality harden has beaten him and 3 other stars SINGLEHANDEDLY...its just that refs wouldnt allowed it to show up on the scoreboard
Curry's ego almost caused the Warriors the game tonight, as he did in the Rockets series. He hogged the ball away from Durant, took several terrible shots to keep Cavs in the game in the 2nd half, while Durant scored almost every trip down the court. BTW, they are people said Iggy is not important to the Warriors. What a joke!
it's funny how people tried to criticize harden for game 7 because he wasn't really efficient. he was a lone all-star against an elite D and a team with 4 all-stars and put up 32-6-6 in a game where his team scored all of 92 and got 6 assists when his teammates shot 5-31 on 3's. i'm not saying it was the greatest game ever, but i don't see how it was a letdown. it's about what happens when non-lebrons go up against a team this great that's actually focused.
Adam Silver has just wasted another prime year of his sports most marketable superstar ever. That's Vince McMahon levels of incompetence. Say whatever you want about David Stern. At least he had the brains to ride the Jordan and Shaq/Kobe gravy train all the way with the occasional Rockets or Spurs championship sprinkled in between to make it look competitive.
curry's probably trying to get that finals mvp. gonna look bad when he's been to 4 finals and hasn't been one of the top 2 players in any of them. he's probably telling kd to back off in game 4 so curry can get it. knowing kd, he'd do it.
it really is insane. the GOAT of his era is just putting on classics that are utterly pointless in a series where we'll never remember a single meaningful play from him. you guys remember how jordan's legacy was built on all those 1st quarter dunks in uncompetitive series? yeah, me neither.
I’ve watch more of the #RefWatchParty today than the entire NBA Finals. I’m happy to hear that the ratings are going down but I hope the NBA doesn’t just say that it’s because of cord cutters. What a poor end to the NBA season...
Harden should’ve had 40+ points on 28-29 shots in game 7...the crooked refs took away 10 potential points we all saw how Harden came out in the 1st quarter, he was poised to have a phenomenal game and enhance his legacy in a major way, but the refs came out and executed Adam Silver’s orders to perfection
lol i have no doubt in my mind harden would have put up 50 pts trip dub had the refs not STOLEN MOMENTUM and swallowed whistles
even taking out the hate and the weakness of his move, i don't really see who he's knocking off in the top 10. however the move is looked at, it simply has to be factored in that he's only winning with a 73 win team around him. who would he knock out? not shaq or hakeem. not duncan. not magic or bird. not wilt or russell. obviously not lebron, kareem, or jordan. we're talking straight alphas on title teams. and multiple title teams for almost all but wilt (i guess with magic's game 6 you could argue '80 for kareem but he was league mvp that year). durant will be 1a of absolutely stacked teams. does he even jump guys like barkley and malone when those guys weren't playing with 3 all-stars. it feels reasonably certain those guys would have titles in the same circumstances. maybe he was on a track to surpass those guys, but i just give him an incomplete for any season on the warriors. people call harden, paul, and d'antoni playoff chokers and he was getting worked by them until paul got injured. same goes for steph. the guy is about to have 3 titles and 2 mvp's, one of which is unanimous. that usually gets you a first class ticket to the top 10. but is he even in the top 20? has he even been the second best player in a finals? maybe, arguably 2015 after he eventually solved the defensive riddle that is matthew dellavedova, but it says something that he wasn't finals mvp because someone else's defense was considered the real difference? now he throws up another bomb in a finals game and has temporarily given back his (hollow) finals mvp.
