“James Harden shrunk!!!” - Jay Williams says we are waiting to see who James Harden is in crucial moments
In a blowout 129-100 loss against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden lived down to his reputation of not showing up in big games.
The 10-time All-Star fell incredibly short of expectations – scoring a mere 11 points and shooting a record-low 17.6%. On a miserable night for the former Net, Harden made none of his two-point attempts (0-for-10) and had four turnovers with a box plus-minus of minus-30.
While Harden moved past Reggie Miller on the NBA's all-time 3-point ladder, he owned up to his disappointing performance:
"Just missed shots, you know. There's no excuses. I gotta be better individually. Some turnovers, where you know, just careless. ... Individually, I gotta be better."
On "Keyshawn, JWill & Max," Jay Williams questioned Harden's credibility under pressure:
"First off, I give him credit. There's accountability there, right? I like the fact that every team has to go through adversity. They got beat up by Miami. He didn't play – still don't know why he didn't play, if it was still the injury ... and then obviously last night.
"when games are really, really big, a lot of us are waiting to see who James Harden will be in those crucial moments down the stretch. Will he be able to answer the bell? And in the environment last night, it just seemed like James Harden shrunk."
James Harden's crunch-time worries
The manner in which the 76ers lost to the Nets on Thursday night sparked conversations about James Harden's past performances in crunch time.
Harden has built a reputation for choking at key moments in the playoffs.
In Game 6 of the 2015 playoffs against the Warriors, James Harden set a single-game playoff record of 13 turnovers, while making 2 of his 11 field-goal attempts and scoring 14 points.
In Game 6 of the 2017 Western Conference semifinals, Harden scored a total of 10 points on 18.2% shooting and had a game-high six turnovers.
In light of today’s trade news and since it appears the #Spurs will never play the #Rockets again with James Harden...the Manu block on the beard in Game 5 of the 2017 playoffs. Still epic. https://t.co/bZH0ZblRLn
In Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference finals, James shot 2 of 13 from behind the arc, with the Houston Rockets making a total of 7 3-pointers in 44 attempts.
These are just a few infamous instances when the former MVP fails to show up in big moments. Although Thursday night was only a regular-season matchup, the two teams could meet in the playoffs at some point, unless the Nets fizzle out before.
Harden, owing to his lack of a championship, has more incentive than his former teammates irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to win one, and to do so soon.
There has been so much talk sparked by the Ben Simmons-James Harden trade. Who won the trade? Will Simmons be healthy by playoff time? Does Harden fit or not? Ultimately, what we have right now is this: KD and Irving defeated Joel Embiid and Harden in formidable fashion – on Philly's floor, no less.