reality check

First of all it's just one game in which we were in the game until the last 5 minutes despite giving up 31 points... 31 freakin' points off of 24 TO's. Yes, Harden was not great tonight with all the TO's but he still ended the game with 20 points, 12 dimes, and 4 steals. My bet is Harden bounces back in a big way the next game. That's usually his pattern.

As for placing blame on Harden it's laughable considering how poorly some of the other guys are playing. Ariza had one of his better games of the playoffs after struggling big-time from the field to end the game w/ 3 points shy of Harden and about the same shooting %. He was good defensively, as was Howard, but he can't keep up with Riddick or Rivers. Howard was steady down low but kept in check on the boards by Jordan. We obviously miss another big body and post-up player like DMO.

The fact is, the rest of the team, minus Brewer, is nowhere close to championship material. We have two 37-year-old guards that make Redick and Rivers look like all-stars. Actually, Rivers isn't half bad when you look at our starting PG situation. And let's not forget about the atrocious play at the PF position. Jones has all but disappeared and Smith is back to hoisting up ill-advised 3-pointers. Let's see... we have 3-point shooters like Redick, Crawford, Barnes, and Rivers vs a 23% Smith (1-5 from 3 and 3-12 overall tonight), Jones (0-1 and 1-6 overall), Terry, and Prigs. No contest, really.

Oh, and once again we couldn't hit the back of a barn with FT's. Funny how people blame Harden yet he's one of the best FT shooters in the game. Not so much with Smith, Howard, Capella, and to a lesser extent Jones. Oh, and defensively, the entire team sucked tonight. Again, they make Redick and Rivers look like all-stars.