Ranking James Harden's 5 worst NBA Playoff performances
James Harden has come under heavy fire, as fans are livid with his performance against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semi-finals. With bursts of awesomeness early in the playoffs, it looked like the guard had turned his playoffs fortune around.
However, in the crucial Game 7 fixture, James Harden's impeccable shooting was gone with the wind, as he shot a measly 16.7% from the 3-point range. His partnership with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving created a super team. But the Brooklyn Nets got edged out of the 2021 NBA playoffs with a 111-115 loss at the Barclays Center.
Although James Harden has had several poor runs in the NBA playoffs, many hoped things would be different this year, considering the caliber of superstars in the Brooklyn Nets team. But even with KD putting the team on his shoulders, Harden could not function as a supporting cast member.
There is no questioning how great James Harden is as a player. However, he has struggled to replicate his exceptional regular-season performances in the playoffs over the years. He has been to the NBA Finals once (2012) in 12 postseason appearances.
Following the Brooklyn Nets' exit from the 2021 NBA playoffs, let us take a look at five instances where James Harden failed to deliver the goods in the postseason:
#5 2020 NBA Playoffs Round 1, Game 7
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to take a break in March 2020. Upon resumption in late July, only a few teams were invited to the Orlando bubble to play seeding games before the battle for the championship commenced.
James Harden and the Houston Rockets finished fourth in the Western Conference and squared off against the OKC Thunder. Although the Rockets secured their second-round berth after a thrilling Game 7, Harden's contributions were minimal.
An 11.1% shooting display from downtown and a 0.267 field-goal percentage summed up James Harden's effort in that fixture. Harden struggled in all areas of the court, but the team advanced to the next round, thanks to the brilliance of Eric Gordon and Robert Covington.
#4 2019 NBA Playoffs Round 1, Game 3
The Houston Rockets faced off against the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2019 NBA playoffs. Coming into the series as the 4th seed, the Houston Rockets were the favorites to win.
Although the Rockets went 3-0 up in the series, James Harden endured a horrific shooting night. Of the 22 points he scored, 14 came from the free-throw line. His field-goal percentage was the worst that night, as he shot only 2 of 13 from downtown and went 3 of 20 from the field.