Listing James Harden's top 3 NBA playoff games based on field goals made
James Harden has accomplished a lot during his 13 NBA seasons, including an MVP award in 2017-18. However, he has yet to lead a team to a championship and will look to finally do so in 2022, with Kevin Durant and possibly Kyrie Irving.
"The Beard" has reached the NBA Finals, as a sixth man with the OKC Thunder in 2012, and also the Western Conference finals a couple of times with the Houston Rockets.
Harden has come up short in some memorable playoff series, and some have criticized him heavily for not playing up to his level in some of his biggest postseason moments. However, he might have the best chance to complete his NBA journey this year with the Brooklyn Nets.
James Harden's top three playoff games based on field goals made
Whether that assessment of James Harden's career is true or not, an NBA championship could cement his legacy as one of the greatest shooting guards in league history.
Harden has played in 137 postseason games, the ninth-most among active players, and he is averaging 23.3 points per game, 1.7 points fewer than his regular-season average.
Still, Harden has had some big games in the playoffs. Here are Harden's top 3 postseason games in terms of field goals made.
No. 3: 14 field goals | 2017, second round, Game 3
The Houston Rockets were looking to reach the Western Conference finals for the third time in two years when the San Antonio Spurs got in their way in 2017.
In a second-round series that went to six games with San Antonio advancing, Harden had some performances that looked good on paper but weren't good enough for the Rockets.
Harden averaged 24.5 points per game and struggled in terms of efficiency, making only 41.4% of his shots. In Game 3, when the Spurs won by 11 points at Houston, Harden scored 43 points after making 14 of his 28 shots.
No. 2: 15 field goals | 2015, first round, Game 3
The first time Harden led Houston to a deep postseason run was in 2015. Those Rockets were coached by Kevin McHale and ahad Dwight Howard playing center, with Harden controlling the offense.
After beating the LA Clippers in a tremendous seven-game series in the second round, Houston fell to the Golden State Warriors in five games. However, Harden was solid in the first couple of rounds.
In the first round against the Dallas Mavericks, Harden averaged 28.4 points and 7.8 assists per game, with a 46.5/38.7/96.2 shooting split. In Game 3, the Rockets went up 3-0 after Harden scored 42 points and recorded nine assists while making 15 of his 24 shots.
No. 1: 15 field goals | 2018 first round, Game 1
The 2017-18 Houston Rockets put up the greatest regular-season record in franchise history, with a 65-17 record. And they had a great chance to beat Kevin Durant's Warriors on Golden State's way to the NBA Finals.
Before falling to the Warriors in the Western Conference finals in seven games, with Chris Paul's injury definitely hindering their chances, the Rockets were solid in the postseason.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were Houston's opponents in the first round of the 2018 playoffs, and the Rockets won the series in five games. Harden averaged 29 points and 7.4 assists per game. He had 44 points and eight assists in Game 1, making 15 of his 26 attempts, including going 7 of 12 from 3-point range, and going 7 of 9 from the foul line.