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Monday, September 15, 2025
Larry Jones' Forgotten Streak of 30 Point Games
Larry Jones, who passed away on August 16, 2025 just over a month before his 83rd birthday, earned four straight ABA All-Star selections (1968-71), made the All-ABA First Team three times (1968-70), and twice finished in the top five in ABA regular season MVP voting (fourth in 1968, third in 1969). He averaged a career-high 28.4 ppg in 1968-69, ranking third in the league in scoring behind Hall of Famers Rick Barry (34.0 ppg) and Connie Hawkins (30.2 ppg).
Jones' professional career began in the Eastern Basketball League in 1964 before he averaged 5.7 ppg in 23 games for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1964-65 season. He then spent two seasons in the Eastern Basketball League before signing with the Denver Rockets in the ABA's inaugural season. Jones turned down an offer from the L.A. Lakers before joining the Rockets. Jones averaged 22.9 ppg for the Rockets in 1967-68, and the Rockets went 45-33 in the regular season before losing 3-2 to the New Orleans Buccaneers in the playoffs.
In an interview with the Be a Baller podcast, Jones talked about his streak of 23 straight games scoring at least 30 points during the 1968-69 season. I pride myself on my knowledge of basketball history and I know a lot about Jones' career, but I had no idea that he had put together such a streak. It appears that Connie Hawkins posted the second longest such streak in ABA history (16 games in the 1968-69 season), and I know of only two longer streaks in NBA history (there are various lists of 30 point game streaks online, but many of the lists have information that does not match up with the game log data at BasketballReference.com): Wilt Chamberlain (of course) scored at least 30 points in 65 straight games en route to averaging a record 50.4 ppg in the 1961-62 season, and James Harden flopped and flailed his way to at least 30 points in 32 straight games in the 2018-19 season.
The only good thing about Harden's fraudulent streak is that it brought some attention to Jones' streak. Jones mentioned during the podcast interview that he received some phone calls from media members asking his thoughts about Harden approaching and then surpassing his streak. Jones indicated that he did not think much about Harden's streak--but that on reflection he realized the magnitude of what he accomplished during his own streak as a young ABA player.
During his 23 game streak of 30 point games, Jones averaged 35.6 ppg. The Rockets went 13-10 in those games--they finished the season with a 44-34 record--and Jones also averaged 6.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, and just .7 tpg during those 23 games. He was an excellent rebounder for a 6-2 guard, and he was much more of a scorer than a playmaker, but in 1969-70 he ranked fourth in the ABA in assists with a career-high 5.7 apg.
Jones averaged 24.9 ppg in 1969-70 (sixth in the ABA) and 24.3 ppg in 1970-71 (seventh in the ABA) before being slowed by injuries. Jones bounced around the ABA to the Floridians, Utah Stars, and Dallas Chaparrals before finishing his pro career averaging 10.0 ppg in 72 games (including 60 starts) for the 1974-75 Philadelphia 76ers.
Jones was from Columbus, Ohio, and he enjoyed a successful college career at the University of Toledo, averaging 20.9 ppg and 9.0 rpg in 63 games. After Jones retired as a professional player, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons and he was the head coach of the Las Vegas Dealers in the Western Basketball Association in 1978-79 before that league folded. He also worked as director of player personnel for the Women's Professional Basketball League, and he later coached the Columbus Minks in the Women's American Basketball Association. Jones earned a master's degree in education from Ohio State, and he worked in Columbus as a substitute teacher while also running youth basketball camps.
Nuggets Overwhelm Clippers in Second Half of 120-101 Game Seven Rout
The L.A. Clippers led 26-21 after the first quarter, but trailed 58-47 at halftime and then collapsed in the second half as the Denver Nuggets won game seven 120-101 to advance to a second round matchup versus the Oklahoma City Thunder; the final score obscures the fact that the Nuggets led 103-68 with 8:49 left in the fourth quarter before calling off the dogs. The Nuggets became the first team to have six players each score at least 15 points in a seventh game. Aaron Gordon led the way (22 points), followed by Christian Braun (21 points), Nikola Jokic (16 points), Jamal Murray (16 points), Russell Westbrook (16 points), and Michael Porter Jr. (15 points). Jokic led the Nuggets with 10 rebounds and eight assists, while Westbrook contributed five rebounds, five assists, and a game-high five steals.
Kawhi Leonard scored a team-high 22 points on 6-13 field goal shooting, but he did not impact the game across the board the way that he usually does, finishing with five rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots, and a game-worst -33 plus/minus number. James Harden, the All-Star guard who is supposed to be the team's reliable second option, had seven points on 2-8 field goal shooting and a -29 plus/minus number; his game-high 13 assists were not nearly enough to make up for not only his poor shooting but his refusal to shoot in an elimination game: the game was still within reach at halftime, but the game was out of reach after Harden scored 0 points on 0-2 field goal shooting while playing all 12 third quarter minutes. Leonard had eight points during the third quarter.
Before digging into the details of yet another pathetic performance to add to Harden's horrific elimination game resume (which now includes a 3-11 won/loss record since he fled Oklahoma City after the 2012 season), we will give credit to the Nuggets. Each Denver starter had between 11 and 16 field goal attempts, and Westbrook provided a critical energy boost during his 27 minutes off of the bench; the 2017 regular season MVP is not the first or second option on a regular basis at this stage of his career but--unlike many players who struggle to accept a lesser role when doing so becomes a necessary reality--he is a team-first player who embraces with enthusiasm his current role as a player who provides hustle, scoring, playmaking, rebounding, and defense off of the bench. The Nuggets took a double digit lead into halftime in large part because Westbrook had 10 points, three assists, two rebounds, two steals, and no turnovers while playing all 12 minutes in the second quarter. When Westbrook rebounded his own missed free throw and scored in traffic at the 3:10 mark of the second quarter, I thought about how stupid it sounded when Amin Elhassan and Zach Harper giggled their way through a segment on their radio show while asserting that Westbrook is a stat padder who obtains easy rebounds from complicit teammates. Westbrook is not a stat padder; he is an energetic game-changer: that play sparked a 9-4 run to close the first half, and set the stage for Denver's third quarter avalanche that ended the game and the series.
Westbrook is not a perfect player and he is the first to admit that, but he never cheats the game, his teammates, or the fans: he plays hard, and his basketball IQ is underrated; after the game, Christian Braun--who drew the primary assignment of guarding Harden--mentioned that Westbrook's knowledge of the Clippers' offensive sets in general and Westbrook's knowledge of Harden's tendencies in particular were invaluable to him.
If you love watching basketball being played the way that it is supposed to be played, then you have to love Westbrook; you may not root for him if he is on the opposing team, but you have to respect his approach to the game.
The emotional exclamation point for Denver's win happened after Westbrook stole the ball and delivered an uncontested fastbreak dunk at the 6:53 mark of the fourth quarter to put Denver up, 107-76. Westbrook hung on the rim for an extended period, and did not care at all about the ensuing technical foul; during the stoppage of play, Westbrook exchanged high fives with Denver fans while very emphatically telling the Clippers' fans in the crowd to go home. One got the sense that Westbrook was not only sharing joy with Nuggets' fans while talking trash to Clippers' fans but that he was also letting out a lot of pent-up energy directed toward both of his former teams in L.A.--not just the Clippers, but also the Lakers and the sycophantic media members who unfairly made him a scapegoat even though knowledgeable analysts like Hubie Brown praised Westbrook during his time with the Lakers.
James Harden is the exact opposite of Russell Westbrook: Westbrook keeps himself in shape all of the time, plays hard, accepts his role, and focuses on doing with high energy whatever his team needs him to do, while Harden is often out of shape, often does not give maximum effort, pouts if he does not like his role, and disappears like clockwork when his team needs him most, as if he looks at his Gucci and knows that in clutch moments it is "time to get ill."
Harden has said that he does not play in a system because he is "The System." His biggest fan, Daryl Morey, insists that Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan. Look up delusional in the dictionary, and you should see those two statements as prime examples.
Nuggets-Clippers was the most closely contested first round series this year--Golden State-Houston is the only other series to even reach a seventh game, to be played on Sunday night--but game seven turned into a blowout because it is difficult for a team featuring Harden in a first option or second option role to overcome his propensity to disappear when it matters most: if a player who is expected to score 12-15 points only scores 6-10 points, his team can overcome that, but if a player who is expected to be a dominant scorer who draws double teams instead just disappears then there is no way for his team to overcome the huge gap between expected production and delivered production. Very few players are capable of filling the first or second option role on a championship contending team, and Harden is not one of those players, as I noted 12 years ago after Harden fled Oklahoma City instead of accepting a third option role behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Harden is not the only reason that his teams have lost so many elimination games, but he is the biggest reason because of his overall approach to the game: if the purported leader is out of shape, does not play hard, and shrinks in big moments then his teammates are going to follow that example in one or more ways. Leonard, who is candid if dry during his press conferences, admitted that the Clippers' game seven effort was disappointing.
Westbrook lifts his teammates' energy, and Harden deflates his teammates' energy.
At least Leonard went to the post-game press conference. Harden left the arena without speaking to the media, which is not the first time that he has done this after a crushing loss, and is yet another example of how ill-suited he is to the role of being a franchise's best player or second best player; a leader does not shirk responsibility for a loss, and speaks to the media even if he knows that there will be uncomfortable questions.
Jamal Murray poured in a game-high 43 points, Nikola Jokic had a modest (by his lofty standards) triple double (13 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds), Aaron Gordon scored 23 points on 7-11 field goal shooting, and Russell Westbrook had 21 points off of the bench as the Denver Nuggets dismantled the L.A. Clippers 131-115 to take a 3-2 series lead. Westbrook showed no ill effects from the foot injury that forced him to miss Denver's game three win. The Nuggets jumped out to a 17-6 first quarter lead, never trailed, and were ahead by as many as 22 points before settling for a 16 point victory margin.
Ivica Zubac scored a team-high 27 points on 11-15 field goal shooting, Kawhi Leonard had a near-triple double (20 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds), and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 18 points off of the bench for the Clippers, who melted down in front of their fans who thought that they showed up for a party, not a funeral.
All of the main players for both teams showed up--except for one: James Harden, a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, was his team's sixth leading scorer in this game. This is deja vu all over again for the Clippers, who are learning that there is at least one other certainty in life besides death and taxes: James Harden disappearing in game five of a 2-2 series. Last year, the Clippers entered game five versus the Dallas Mavericks tied 2-2, and they exited game five trailing 3-2 after a 123-93 loss during which Harden had a triple single (seven points, seven assists, four rebounds) while shooting 2-12 from the field (a frigid February "concert tour") and delivering his trademark "Harden" (a game during which a player has more turnovers than field goals made) with two field goals made and four turnovers. This year, Harden scored 11 points on 3-9 field goal shooting with five assists, four turnovers, and a game-worst -16 plus/minus number, achieving the rare (except for him) feat of logging a "concert tour" field goal percentage and a "Harden" in the same game.
Game five winners in a 2-2 series go on to win the series 81.3% of the
time, so it is fair to say that game five of the Denver Nuggets-L.A.
Clippers series was the biggest game of the season for both teams. Of course, game six is an even bigger game for the Clippers, because if they lose that game then their season is over with a first round exit, a sad finale for a squad that many "experts" lauded as a potential Western Conference Finals participant before the playoffs began.
Daryl Morey compared Harden favorably to Michael Jordan, but in fact Harden is the anti-Jordan: when Jordan played in a pivotal playoff game you knew that he would be very efficient and productive and his team would most likely win, but when Harden plays in a pivotal playoff game you know that he will be inefficient and unproductive and his team will most likely lose. Harden's elimination game resume provides a blueprint for what the Clippers should expect in game six; last year in game six, Harden scored 16 points on 5-16 field goal shooting as the Mavericks ended the Clippers season with a 114-101 defeat.
The Phoenix Suns built a 14 point first half lead, fell behind by 10 points with just 6:13 remaining in the fourth quarter, and then rallied to beat the L.A. Clippers 116-113 in overtime, spoiling the Clippers' home opener in Steve Ballmer's new arena. Kevin Durant led Phoenix with 25 points while also posting a team-high seven turnovers. Bradley Beal scored 24 points on 8-12 field goal shooting, and poured in seven of the Suns' 13 overtime points. Devin Booker had a quiet game (15 points, six assists) by his lofty standards. Tyus Jones did an excellent job in his debut as the team's starting point guard, finishing with 11 points, a game-high tying eight assists, and no turnovers. The Suns squandered many late leads last season due to poor execution down the stretch, so slotting Jones in as the starting point guard is meant to solve that problem, and if this game is any indication then that plan will work out well.
This game was a microcosm of James Harden's career: he filled up the boxscore with empty calories, and he disappeared when it mattered the most. Harden's game-high 29 points, game-high 12 rebounds, and game-high tying eight assists will make every "stat guru" drool, but it is worth noting not only that Harden had a -4 plus/minus number but also when and how he accumulated his numbers, because the great Bill Russell used to emphasize during his time as a CBS commentator the importance of when a player puts up his numbers. Harden was a no-show in the first half with four points on 2-11 field goal shooting as the Suns built a 47-39 halftime lead, forcing the Clippers to expend energy playing from behind. Then, he erupted for 16 points on 5-9 field goal shooting in the third quarter as the Clippers outscored the Suns 35-25 to take a 74-72 lead heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter with the game up for grabs, Harden had eight points on 3-7 field goal shooting with a team-worst -7 plus/minus number.
The Clippers led 99-90 with 3:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, and then Harden did his thing: he missed a 30 foot three pointer, he missed a floater, he turned the ball over, he missed a layup, and he fouled Durant on a three point play that gave the Suns the lead for the first time in the fourth quarter. Harden then tied the game with a stepback jumper and gave the Clippers a brief lead by hitting a pair of free throws before Durant's fadeaway knotted the score at 103 with 21.2 seconds remaining. Harden missed a floater that could have won the game, and in overtime he did not score a point or deliver an assist. Harden once said that he is not a system player but he is "The system" and that is true if he means that he is "The system" for falling behind early, squandering late leads, disappearing in overtime, and putting up "concert tour" field goal percentages in playoff games.
Unfortunately for the Clippers, their hopes will ride or die with Harden, because two-time NBA Finals MVP (2014, 2019) Kawhi Leonard is out indefinitely with a knee injury. It is becoming increasingly evident that the issue with Leonard is not so much that he is intentionally engaging in load management but that rather he just cannot stay healthy.
In contrast, the Suns have a much sounder foundation, as they are relying on two-time NBA champion/NBA Finals MVP Durant, supported by Booker and Beal, who are excellent as the second and third options respectively. The Suns replaced Frank Vogel, who is an excellent coach, with Mike Budenholzer, who led the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2021 NBA title.
Westbrook spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder before being traded to the Houston Rockets in 2019 for Chris Paul and four first round draft picks. Westbrook's stay in Houston lasted just one season, as his serious approach to the game--playing hard consistently and showing up on time for practices and games--did not mesh well with the much more casual approach favored by James Harden. The Rockets traded Westbrook to the Washington Wizards in 2020 for John Wall and a first round draft pick. Westbrook averaged 22.2 ppg, 11.7 apg, and 11.5 rpg for the Wizards in 2020-21, capturing his third assists title in four years while leading the Wizards to their only playoff appearance between 2018 and 2024. Westbrook also broke Oscar Robertson's record for career triple doubles.
After the 2021 season, Westbrook landed with the L.A. Lakers as part of a five team trade. The LeBron James-Anthony Davis-Russell Westbrook trio could have been a force to reckon with if the Lakers committed to playing defense and then pushing the ball up the court at a fast pace after defensive stops, but James prefers to slow the game down, monopolize the ball, and then find scapegoats after his team loses. Westbrook and Coach Frank Vogel became the prime scapegoats for James and his media sycophants. The Lakers fired Vogel in 2022, just two years after he led the Lakers to the championship, and then they traded Westbrook to the Utah Jazz in February 2023. The Jazz waived Westrook, who finished the season with the L.A. Clippers. Westbrook averaged 15.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and 7.5 apg overall in the 2022-23 season, and he averaged 23.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 7.4 apg during the Clippers' first round loss to the Phoenix Suns. The Clippers acquired James Harden early during the 2023-24 season, and Westbrook accepted being relegated to a reserve role. Westbrook averaged 11.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 4.5 apg while shooting .454 from the field. He finished tied for seventh in the voting for Sixth Man of the Year. Not surprisingly, the Clippers flamed out again in the playoffs, with Kawhi Leonard getting hurt, Harden putting up his typical "concert tour" field goal percentages, and Paul "I call myself Playoff P" George disappearing as usual.
In short, Westbrook has spent the past four seasons with organizations that are not serious about consistently putting together a championship caliber program: he should get a special award for carrying the "Wheeze-hards" to the playoffs, the Lakers have not advanced past the first round in three of the four seasons after winning the 2020 "bubble title," and the Clippers put way too much faith in Leonard's balky knees, George's flimsy playoff resume, and Harden's documented record of disappearing in the games that matter most.
Westbrook will benefit tremendously from leaving teams engulfed in drama to go to a team that is serious about winning but a bit shorthanded now due to salary cap constraints; in the past two years, the Nuggets have lost Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, two key rotation players from their 2023 championship team. Westbrook will not replace their "3 and D" contributions, but he is an elite scorer, rebounder, and playmaker who consistently plays hard and who would do anything to help his team. The Nuggets have a great organization from ownership to management to the coaching staff to the tone set by Jokic, and Westbrook will fit in perfectly with a team that is serious about winning.
Westbrook's critics dismiss his rebounding numbers as stat padding.
It is evident that Westbrook's critics--including but not limited to Amin Elhassan and Zach Harper--either have an agenda or do not understand basketball very well, because it is easy to demonstrate (1) that Westbrook's rebounds are not fungible and (2) there are many real, documented examples of stat padding that the league and its media partners are quite happy to ignore.
Westbrook will be a great energizer as a sixth man for the Nuggets, and he is still capable of being a starter as well.
Harden’s Concert Tour Starts on Schedule, Ends Clippers’ Season
Kyrie Irving (30 points, six rebounds, four assists, one turnover) and Luka Doncic (28 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds) led the way on Friday night as the Dallas Mavericks beat the L.A. Clippers 114-101 to advance to the second round of the playoffs. My forthcoming preview of the Oklahoma City-Dallas series will discuss in more detail how well Doncic and Irving performed versus the Clippers, but because the Clippers have "gone fishing" (as the TNT crew puts it) and will not be seen again until next fall this article will focus on yet another "team nobody wants to face" that everybody should want to face.
One unavoidable and sad headline for the Clippers is that Kawhi Leonard just cannot get right physically. Since leading the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship, Leonard has had one healthy playoff run (during which the Clippers lost to the Denver Nuggets in game seven in 2020, with Leonard shooting just 6-22 from the field). Leonard missed the last six of the Clippers' 19 playoff games in 2021, missed the entire 2022 season due to injury, missed the last three of the Clippers' five playoff games in 2023, and missed four of the Clippers' six playoff games in 2024. He turns 33 next month, but he seems to have 45 year old knees: Leonard has not played at least 70 games in a regular season since 2016-17. There is no logical reason to believe that he will ever be healthy enough to lead a team on an extended playoff run.
The Clippers' second option is Paul "I call myself Playoff P" George. You can count on one thing from Playoff P: in more than half of his playoff series, he has shot .420 or worse from the field. He was his reliably unreliable self in 2024 versus the Mavericks, shooting .411 from the field, including 6-18 (.333) in game six and 4-13 (.308) in game five.
The best thing that happened to minimize the damage to Playoff P's reputation is that the Clippers signed James Harden to be the starting point guard and be the third scoring option.
This year, Harden disappeared in game five versus the Mavericks and he scheduled a 5-16 concert in game six as the Mavericks wrecked the listing Clippers. With Harden running the show, the Clippers shot .415 from the field, including .258 from three point range. The "stat gurus" rave about Harden's efficiency and insist that we should not rely on the "eye test." So--without even describing all of the ways that Harden ruins an offense and destroys team chemistry--we can just look at his individual numbers and his team's numbers and understand that it is very unlikely that he will ever be the best player (or second best player or third best player) on a legit championship contender. This was not an outlier performance, either--this is yet another line added to Harden's pathetic elimination game resume, which also includes nine points and five turnovers for Philadelphia in a 112-88 loss to Boston last year (that one will be hard for even Harden to top, but I believe that he can do it).
When the best player is out, the second best player disappears, and the third best player disappears, it is not surprising that a team loses. No further explanation is needed (but credit should be given to what Dallas did well, and as noted above, I will discuss that in an upcoming article).
However, I can hear the peanut gallery shouting, "But, but, but, what about Russell Westbrook? How can we blame this whole fiasco on him? The Lakers did it, so why can't the Clippers do it, too?"
There is no sugarcoating the reality that Westbrook did not post good numbers versus the Mavericks; he averaged playoff career-lows across the board—including 19.0
mpg, barely half his career average. A third of his field goal attempts were three pointers, well above his career norm.
It is worth remembering that in last year's playoffs--his first with the Clippers, after joining the team in midseason in the wake of the Lakers shipping him out and trashing his reputation--Westbrook averaged 23.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 7.4 apg. Then, Westbrook played well at the start of this season before the Clippers traded for Harden. The Clippers slumped after Harden arrived, then played better after Westbrook volunteered to be the sixth man so that Harden could dribble the basketball until it was as flat as a pancake as the starting point guard. Westbrook broke his left (non-shooting) hand on March 1, had surgery, and came back in just three weeks. We regularly hear about LeBron James' ankle and other assorted ailments, and there are always injury alibis provided for Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid--but the fact that Westbrook is playing with a recently broken hand is never mentioned. Broken hand recovery time is typically at least two months, which means that the best case scenario is that Westbrook's hand is just now rounding into form--assuming that his injury was typical and that he did not reinjure it during the past five weeks. Whether due to injury or the design--or lack thereof--of the Clippers' offense, Westbrook spent much of the Dallas series camped out behind the three point line. To put it mildly, that is not a skill set strength for Westbrook, who is at his best on the move to the hoop with the ball in his hands. Of course, with Harden and George taking turns monopolizing the ball and bricking shots, there is not much room for Westbrook to get touches on the move.
Again, there is no denying that Westbrook was not productive versus the Mavericks--but it is burying the lede to focus on the fourth option who is playing with a recently broken hand instead of focusing on the chronically injured first option, and the disappearing acts performed by the second and third options.
Speaking of the invisible men, Playoff P has a player option after being tied for the NBA's seventh highest salary in 2024. Some "experts" suggest that the Philadelphia 76ers should use their salary cap space to bring in Playoff P for $50 million per season--and what team does not need a 34 year old with a long history of playoff underperformance? All the 76ers need after signing Playoff P is to bring in Chris Paul, "the best leader in the NBA." Paul's tremendous leadership was fully evident when the Golden State Warriors finished 10th out of 15 teams in the West before losing in the Play-In Tournament.
Harden was a bargain last season, ranking a mere 28th in salary. He is a free agent, and it will be interesting to see who ponies up $30 million or more per season to get an up close view of the full concert tour.
Doncic Shines, Harden Disappears as Mavericks Rout Clippers 123-93 to Take 3-2 Series Lead
"Lookin' at my Gucci, it's about that time."--Beastie Boys, "Time to Get Ill"
Like clockwork, James Harden looked at his Gucci in a pivotal game five and decided it was time to get ill, producing a "Harden" and a "concert tour" in the same contest: more turnovers (four) than field goals made (two)--the "Harden"--and a field goal percentage that looks like a concert tour date (2-12 for an ice cold winter performance). Harden had a game-worst -25 plus/minus number, and his triple single (seven points, seven assists, four rebounds) sealed the L.A. Clippers' fate at home as the Dallas Mavericks ran, jumped, and dunked to a 123-93 win, the worst margin of defeat in Clippers' playoff history. Paul George scored 15 points on 4-13 field goal shooting, and his game-high 11 rebounds were not nearly enough to make up for his anemic scoring, particularly with Kawhi Leonard out due to injury and Harden invisible due to being Harden.
Luka Doncic dominated for Dallas, scoring a game-high 35 points on 14-26 field goal shooting while also dishing for a game-high 10 assists. He outscored George and Harden combined in game five, which is enormously important because the game five winner in a series tied 2-2 goes on to take the series more than 80% of the time. Doncic scored almost as many second half points (20) as George and Harden scored in the entire game combined (22). Doncic has led the league in playoff scoring in each of the past two
seasons, and even though he is hobbling around with various injuries he
is still averaging 30.2 ppg versus the Clippers.
Maxi Kleber added 15 points off of the bench, while Kyrie Irving and Jaden Hardy scored 14 points each.
The Mavericks' excellence under pressure is the main story--along with the reality that Jason Kidd is an underrated coach--but Harden's horrific play must not be ignored. I've been saying it for a decade, but it seems like no one listens and no one learns: no team with James Harden in a key role is going to win a championship--and if you liked game five Harden, wait until you see elimination game Harden.
It was hilarious to watch people get so excited when Harden played reasonably well earlier in this series. Harden was selected to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, so there is a responsibility and an expectation for him to play well during playoff games. Keep in mind that Harden was selected over Chris Bosh, Adrian Dantley, Alex English, Artis Gilmore, Dwight Howard, Bernard King, and Tracy McGrady (among others).
It should surprise no one that with the series on the line Harden fell apart, because he has done this over and over and over again.
Harden looked at his Gucci, and he knew it was about that time.
Harden being Harden should not obscure the fact that the self-proclaimed "Playoff P" entered the chat as well. Paul George might be Harden's long lost cousin, because they have the same playoff DNA: when all the chips are down, they fall down. George shot .420 or worse from the field in nine of his 18 playoff series prior to 2024, and he is hovering just above .420 in this series heading into a win or go home game six. In his three playoff games when his team faced elimination since joining the Clippers, George has shot 6-15 (.400), 5-15 (.333), and 4-16 (.250), so it will be fascinating to watch Harden and George work their game six magic on Friday night in Dallas.
The two NBA teams in L.A. appear to be on different trajectories, with the Lakers slumping and the Clippers ascending.
The Lakers started the season 14-9--including a 6-0 performance in the NBA Cup (their NBA Cup championship game win versus the Indiana Pacers does not count in the regular season standings)--but they are just 3-9 since the NBA Cup, and they are 10th in the Western Conference standings. The 17-18 Lakers are in danger of missing the playoffs for the second time in the past three seasons, which would be embarrassing for a team featuring LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who are both members of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.
Considering how much hype was heaped on the Lakers just a few months ago, it is funny that the Lakers have just three more wins this season than they did at the same point last season. A year ago, LeBron James' p.r. team in the media worked nonstop to convince the world that Russell Westbrook was the main reason for the Lakers' poor play. The Lakers traded Westbrook for Malik Beasley, D'Angelo Russell, and Jarred Vanderbilt on February 9, 2023, and I asserted that the Westbrook trade did not improve the Lakers' playoff chances. Although the Lakers advanced to the 2023 Western Conference Finals, in retrospect it is apparent that their playoff run was (1) not as impressive as it may have seemed at first and (2) not indicative that the team had improved in a sustainable way: the two teams that the Lakers beat in the playoffs--the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors--have collapsed this season, and the Lakers were swept 4-0 by the Denver Nuggets, the first legit championship contender that they faced. The "triumphant trio" (as I derisively termed them) of Beasley, Russell, and Vanderbilt did not accomplish much during the 2023 playoffs; in game four of the Western Conference Finals, Beasley and Vanderbilt did not play, while Russell scored four points in 15 minutes as the Nuggets closed out the series.
The notion that trading Westbrook for the "triumphant trio" turned the Lakers into a championship contender was laughable at the time, and looks absurd now; the "experts" who praised the trade are now struggling to figure out how to admit that they were wrong without retracting their Westbrook slander and without assigning any blame to James, whose fingerprints are all over the Lakers' personnel moves since he joined the team.
This season, the Lakers rank 13th in defensive field goal percentage, 16th in points allowed, 17th in points scored, and 19th in rebounding; they are mediocre (or worse) at both ends of the court, and it is unlikely that they will come close to repeating last season's fluky run to the Western Conference Finals. On Wednesday night, the Lakers lost 110-96 at home to a Miami team sans Jimmy Butler. James had a game-worst -20 plus/minus number while scoring 12 points on 6-18 field goal shooting; that bad performance is an aberration in an otherwise strong season for James, but it cannot be denied that he seemed more focused on winning the NBA Cup than on leading the Lakers to a top four seed. If the Lakers continue to implode, it will be fascinating to see how Dave McMenamin, Brian Windhorst, and the rest of James' p.r. team spin the debacle in a way that absolves James. Without Westbrook to serve as the scapegoat, who will be the next fall guy? Coach Darvin Ham should keep his head on a swivel.
While the Lakers are floundering, the Clippers have won 18 of their last 23 games. They lost six straight games after trading for James Harden (who was inactive for the first of those games), but now they have the fourth best record in the Western Conference. The main reason for the Clippers' success is Kawhi Leonard, who is not injured or load managing for the first time since he led the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA title. Leonard has played in 29 of 33 games this season; the Clippers are 19-10 with Leonard and 2-2 without him. Paul George, who has not played in more than 56 games in a season since 2018-19, has played in 31 games this season, and he has been a strong second option.
For a decade I have insisted that the best role for Harden is third option on a championship contender, and he is in that role now for the first time since he was the third option for the Oklahoma City Thunder when the Thunder reached the 2012 NBA Finals before falling to the Miami Heat (Harden was the nominal third option during his brief stay in Brooklyn, but Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Harden were rarely on the court together for a variety of reasons). Harden's numbers with the Clippers are solid, but the 76ers' success this season after trading Harden demonstrates that (1) Harden's assists are fungible and (2) Harden's individual numbers do not create wins. Harden consistently disappears in the playoffs, and it is a good bet that he will disappear in the 2024 playoffs, so even though Harden is finally in the ideal role it remains to be seen if Leonard's ability to produce in the clutch can outweigh Harden's annual playoff "concert tours."
Westbrook's role in the Clippers' success should be mentioned. Westbrook finished last season with the Clippers after the Lakers discarded him, and he played well as a starter for the Clippers before willingly accepting a reserve role this season after Harden joined the team. Westbrook ranks second on the team in both rebounding (6.5 rpg) and assists (4.7 apg) while averaging 11.8 ppg in just 23.9 mpg. Westbrook is unselfish, he is a great teammate, he rarely misses games, and he plays consistently plays hard. The Lakers could sure use a player like that!
The Philadelphia 76ers benefited from the James Harden trade not only because they got rid of a discontented playoff choker, but also because without Harden dribbling the air out of the ball Tyrese Maxey can reach his full potential. Maxey is averaging a career-high 27.0 ppg this season with
shooting splits of .466/.425/.930.
Maxey averaged 8.0 ppg as a rookie in
2020-21 before averaging 17.5 ppg and 20.3 ppg in his next two seasons; he was progressing even with Harden dominating the ball, but the leap from scoring in the low 20 ppg range to scoring in the high 20 ppg range is one that few players can make, and even fewer players can make that leap while maintaining their efficiency. Based on Maxey's skill set, there is no reason to believe that Maxey's current production is a fluke or unsustainable; last season, I pointed out that Maxey was already better than Harden: "Maxey is more efficient and more explosive than Harden, so the 76ers
would be best served if Harden shot less frequently while Maxey shot
more frequently. Coach Doc Rivers understands this, as can be seen by
the fact that Maxey is averaging more field goal attempts per game than
Harden this season after the reverse was true last season."
Maxey's increased production this season is yet another example of the limitations of using statistics for player evaluation in general, and more specifically the limitations of using "advanced basketball statistics" for player evaluation. A competent talent evaluator who watched Maxey play and did a skill set analysis of Maxey could figure out--even when Maxey was averaging 8.0 ppg--that he has the requisite size, strength, speed, ballhandling skills, court vision, and shooting touch to be an All-Star guard. Has Maxey improved? Sure--that is to be expected of a motivated and talented player. The point is that anyone who dismisses the value of the educated eye and makes talent evaluations primarily based on statistics--"advanced" or traditional--will miss big, important parts of the picture. This is true not only for talented players who are only averaging 8.0 ppg but also for players like Harden who post gaudy numbers that exaggerate their impact on team success. Harden's inflated statistics result from a combination of factors, including spending most of his career in a system that encouraged him to monopolize the ball, being rewarded for "flop and flail" tactics, and loosening scorekeeping standards that have inflated assist totals (this helps other players, but it is most helpful to players who monopolize the ball like Harden).
Regardless of who the second option is or how well he performs, the 76ers will only go as far as Embiid takes them--and Embiid has yet to prove that he can lead a team past the second round of the playoffs--but the 76ers are better now with Maxey as the primary ballhandler than they were with Harden as the primary ballhandler.
The 2023-24 NBA season is already almost 10% over for the teams that have played eight games, and it may be getting late early for some teams, to borrow a Yogi Berra line. The Washington Wizards--or "Wheeze-hards," as I call them--are 1-5 while ranking 30th (last) in points allowed, 30th in rebounding, and 20th in turnovers. The Memphis Grizzlies are 1-6 while ranking 27th in field goal percentage, 25th in turnovers, and 20th in points allowed; I expected them to struggle because of Ja Morant missing at least the first 25 games of the season due to a league suspension, but I picked them to be the seventh best team in the West, and even that modest expectation for the West's second seed last season may have been overly optimistic.
Perhaps the biggest surprise so far has been the 6-1 start by the Dallas Mavericks, who failed to even make the Play-In Tournament last season despite having both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks rank fifth in scoring, second in three point field goal percentage, and fourth in turnovers, but they rank 26th in defensive field goal percentage and 23rd in rebounding; their efficient, high-powered offense has made up for their lackluster defense and rebounding, but that is not a recipe for sustained, high level success--and it should also be noted that they have feasted on non-contending teams while losing 125-114 in their only game versus a contending team (the 7-1 Denver Nuggets). Doncic is once again posting MVP caliber numbers (31.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 8.9 apg), while so far Irving is accepting a secondary role (20.0 ppg, 7.8 apg).
Lest I be accused of burying the lede, I will provide my thoughts about number one overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama and his 3-4 San Antonio Spurs. Wembanyama is averaging 19.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg. 2.6 bpg, 1.7 apg, and 1.3 spg with shooting splits of .462/.324/.757. Those are All-Star caliber numbers for a veteran player, let alone a 19 year old rookie--but I have never understood or agreed with crowning a player as an all-time great after just a handful of games. So much can happen that it just makes more sense to observe and report instead of projecting and speculating. Wembanyama showed flashes of his potential in his debut game--a loss to Dallas--and then a week later he grabbed headlines by scoring 38 points on 15-26 field goal shooting while also snaring 10 rebounds in a 132-121 win versus Phoenix. His talent is obvious, significant, and undeniable, but he has shot .438 or worse from the field in four of his first seven games, and that speaks to issues with both shot selection and strength. The similarly slender Kevin Durant shot .430 from the field as a rookie and has not shot worse than .462 from the field since--but that did not happen by chance: Durant improved his shot selection and he became strong enough to establish and maintain his position on the court. It is not necessary or even desirable for naturally slender players to bulk up, as Durant, George Gervin, and Reggie Miller (among others) proved, but Wembanyama needs to get stronger not only to become a more efficient player but also to prevent injury.
The term "unicorn" is thrown around way too often. How can there be many different "unicorns" if, by definition, a "unicorn" is considered to be a unique player? Contrary to popular belief, we have seen a player very similar to Wembanyama in terms of height, build, and skill set: Ralph Sampson averaged 21.0 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.4 bpg, and 2.0 apg while shooting .523 from the field and .661 from the free throw line as a rookie in 1983-84. He played all 82 games, won the Rookie of the Year award, and earned the first of four straight All-Star selections. Injuries prevented Sampson from reaching his full potential, though he still made it to the Hall of Fame based on his stellar college career plus the flashes of brilliance he displayed in his first few NBA seasons.
Sampson did not shoot three pointers like Wembanyama does, but no one did at that time: Darrell Griffith led the NBA with 91 three point field goals made in 1983-84, and the second place finisher, Michael Cooper, made 38. Larry Bird, who won the Three Point Shootout three straight times and is one of the best shooters ever, shot 18-73 from three point range in 1983-84, because at that time the shot was not a regular part of the offense but was mainly used in late clock situations when a team trailed by three. Halfcourt heaves to beat the buzzer at the end of quarters skewed the three point percentages of many players from that era, a fact that is conveniently ignored by people who cavalierly assume that no one in the 1980s could shoot from beyond 15-18 feet.
I picked the Spurs to miss the playoffs, and I have not changed my mind; the team is not experienced enough or talented enough to play better than .500 for the rest of the season, and it is unusual for a rookie to be the best player on a playoff team, a feat that neither Shaquille O'Neal nor LeBron James accomplished.
James Harden made his much anticipated (only by him) L.A. Clippers debut on Monday night, and promptly posted a team-worst -18 plus/minus number as the Clippers--who had not scored fewer than 118 points in their first five games--lost 111-97 to the New York Knicks. Harden's individual numbers were not terrible--17 points on 6-9 field goal shooting, six assists in 31 minutes--but he is an expert at posting empty calorie numbers that have little to no connection to team success. The Clippers started the season 3-2 without Harden, and their only losses were by two points to Utah and by five points in overtime to the Lakers. Russell Westbrook has done a fine job running point since joining the Clippers late last season, but now the Clippers have created unnecessary drama because either Westbrook or Harden is going to have to accept a lesser role. The natural and correct choice would be to repurpose Harden as a potentially lethal sixth man, but the Thunder's decision to use him that way is what prompted Harden to embark upon his decade-long odyssey around the league posting empty regular season numbers before putting on concert tours in the playoffs culminating in elimination game disappearing acts. The sad reality for Clippers fans is that even if Harden becomes a productive regular season player for them he will fall apart in the playoffs.
In a related story, Harden's most recent former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, are playing like a giant, bearded malcontent has been lifted off of their collective shoulders and shipped across the country. The 76ers started the season 5-1 without the "benefit" of Harden dribbling the air out of the ball or flopping and flailing or delusionally complaining about being on a leash. Harden's empty calorie assists are so critically important to Joel Embiid's success that the 2023 regular season MVP only managed to score 48 points on 17-25 field goal shooting in a 146-128 win over the Wizards. Somehow, the 76ers struggled along with Tyrese Maxey scoring 22 points on 9-16 field goal shooting while passing for 11 assists and committing just one turnover. Sans Harden, the 76ers rank fourth in scoring, third in field goal percentage, and sixth in points allowed. The only downside for Embiid is that when the 76ers fail to advance past the second round yet again--a feat that they annually accomplish with or without Harden--he will not be able to hide behind the noise of Harden's concert tour field goal percentages. The 76ers are no worse without Harden--which speaks volumes about how little his league-leading assist numbers last season meant--but it is not clear that they will be a better playoff team without him, because that would require Embiid to be healthy and productive in April and May.
Sixers End Failed Harden Experiment While Clippers Hope That Harden Will be A Happy Camper
The James Harden concert tour is heading west: the Philadelphia 76ers shipped James Harden to the L.A. Clippers in exchange for Nicholas Batum, Robert Covington, Kenyon Martin Jr., Marcus Morris Sr., and several draft picks. The Clippers also received P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev from the 76ers. No offense to the players acquired by the 76ers, but it is fascinating that 2018 regular season MVP Harden--who was also selected to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team--has been traded for players who have never made the All-Star team even once and are unlikely to make the All-Star team in the future.
In Harden's final playoff game with the 76ers he added yet another entry to his horrific elimination game resume, scoring nine points on 3-11 field goal shooting while committing five turnovers as the Boston Celtics routed the 76ers, 112-88. That kind of performance--featuring more turnovers committed than field goals made--should be defined as a "Harden," because it is Harden's specialty: Harden pulled off a "Harden" in three of his seven 2023 playoff games versus the Celtics, and during a six game stretch in the 2023 playoffs Harden had 32 field goals made and 30 turnovers committed, narrowly missing averaging a "Harden" for the equivalent of an entire playoff series.
Morey remains an unrepentant Harden fan. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne recently quoted Morey's current take on Harden's legacy: "James changed my life. He's one of the all-time greats. As time goes on, people will think
about him in much more historic terms. What he did to change the game
and change the NBA will get recognized more as the Twitterverse and the
people who don't understand how good he is fade away."
Morey has it backwards (as he often does): anyone who critiqued Harden and Morey for not understanding what it takes to win a championship will only gain credibility over time, while many of the highly paid commentators of recent years will eventually be relegated to much-deserved obscurity. The notion that Harden was ever as good as Jordan is demonstrably absurd and will not stand the test of time, but an analytical examination of the flaws in Harden's game (and the flaws in Morey's "advanced basketball statistics") is timeless basketball wisdom.
The funny thing about this trade is that Morey won in spite of himself. Whatever he did that resulted in Harden repeatedly calling him out publicly as a liar forced the 76ers to get rid of one of the worst playoff chokers of all-time, so the 76ers are better now than they were the past two seasons with Harden--though that may change depending on who Morey swoons over next, and how he decides to spend the draft picks that he has acquired.
Meanwhile, it is difficult to understand why the Clippers treasure the trash that has been dumped in the past four years by Houston, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia. Even after Wednesday's come from ahead overtime loss to the L.A. Lakers, the Clippers started the season 3-2 without Harden. ESPN's insightful analyst Tim Legler declared that the Harden trade does not change his evaluation of the Clippers at all because the Clippers had enough talent to be a contender even without Harden. Legler stated that the Clippers' fate depends primarily on whether or not Kawhi Leonard is healthy during the playoffs. Legler is right in the sense that Leonard is the Clippers' main star, but I would argue that the Harden trade is not just a lateral move in terms of the Clippers' championship hopes: Harden is a proven malcontent with a long track record of playoff choking, so the combination of Harden's inevitable bad attitude with his inevitable postseason disappearing act will likely harm the Clippers.
Damian Lillard scored a game-high 39 points as the Milwaukee Bucks built a 19 point first half lead, fell behind by eight points in the fourth quarter, and then rallied to outlast the Philadelphia 76ers. Lillard shot 9-20 from the field and 17-17 from the free throw line while setting the franchise record for most points scored in a player's first game with the team. Giannis Antetokounmpo had an uneven performance, scoring 23 points, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds, and accumulating three assists, two steals, and two blocked shots--but he shot 10-22 from the field (not good by his standards) and just 3-9 from the free throw line while committing seven turnovers and posting a team-worst -13 plus/minus number. Brook Lopez (13 points) and Bobby Portis (10 points) were Milwaukee's other double figure scorers.
According to pregame reports, James Harden showed up at the airport to travel with the 76ers to Milwaukee, but team officials refused to let him board the plane in the wake of his 10 day absence from team activities. Without Harden dribbling the ball until he created craters in the floor, other players had opportunities to handle the ball and score. Tyrese Maxey scored a team-high 31 points on 10-22 field goal shooting while passing for a game-high eight assists and not committing any turnovers. Kelly Oubre scored 27 points off of the bench on 9-11 field goal shooting.
Reigning regular season MVP and two-time defending scoring champion Joel Embiid scored 24 points, tied for the team lead with seven rebounds, and passed for six assists. Those numbers look OK, but he shot just 9-21 from the field and 3-8 from the free throw line while tying Antetokounmpo with a game-high seven turnovers. More concerning than Embiid's low free throw percentage--which is an aberration--is that seven of Embiid's field goal attempts were from beyond the arc. He is not a bad three point shooter, and he made three treys versus Milwaukee, but when Embiid takes a three pointer he bails out the defense. In contrast, when
Embiid attacks the paint he creates a high percentage shot for himself
or for a teammate, and he increases the likelihood that he will draw a
foul; drawing fouls puts the opposing team in foul trouble, and helps
the 76ers get into the bonus.
In the fourth quarter with the game up for grabs, Embiid scored four points on 2-8 field goal shooting. This is a recurring theme throughout Embiid's career: he puts up good numbers overall, but when the game is on the line--particularly in the playoffs--he wears down or just disappears. It never seems like Embiid is in tip top physical condition, and he also often seems to lack the closer's mentality possessed by the truly great players.
After Lillard hit two free throws to put Milwaukee up 57-38 with 4:04 remaining in the first half, it did not appear likely that Embiid's inability to dominate down the stretch of a close game would be relevant; it looked like the Bucks were cruising toward a 20 or 30 point blowout. However, the 76ers pulled to within 63-54 by halftime after draining three treys in a little over a minute.
The Bucks clung to an 88-85 lead at the end of the third quarter, but they trailed 102-94 with 6:47 left in the fourth quarter after Maxey drained two free throws. Lillard scored nine points in the final four minutes, including a pair of game-clinching free throws to give the Bucks a 118-114 lead with 11.5 seconds remaining.
Last season, the Bucks ranked second in the NBA in defensive field goal
percentage (.456), but swapping elite defensive player Jrue Holiday for Lillard will
inevitably lead to defensive slippage, so it is not surprising that the
76ers shot 41-80 (.512) from the field during this game or that the 76ers scored 32 fourth quarter points. The Bucks' offense down the stretch consisted of Lillard dominating the ball, and often settling for long jump shots; those "logo threes" look cute when they go in, but more often than not they don't go in, which is one reason why Lillard's Portland teams posted a 4-8 playoff series record in 11 seasons. The Bucks have been criticized for having a stagnant offense, a problem that the acquisition of Lillard is meant to solve--but a team with a dominating inside force like Antetokounmpo and an excellent shooter/ballhandler like Lillard should never be settling for "logo threes." That is just not how championships are won, particularly considering that it is doubtful that Milwaukee's defense will ever be as good as it was with Holiday at point guard. The Bucks should be running an offense revolving around Antetokounmpo and Lillard running screen/roll actions that result in (1) a high percentage paint shot for Antetokounmpo, (2) a high percentage open shot (not from the logo) by Lillard, or (3) a high percentage open shot for one of the other three players on the court. This is the first regular season game of the Antetokounmpo-Lillard era, and we have seen previous duos and trios need some time to hit their stride, so in no way am I suggesting that the Bucks will not be very, very good. My point is simply that one win against a shorthanded 76ers team should not be overrated.
As for the 76ers, we have already seen that they cannot win a championship with Harden--but they also cannot win a championship by giving up Harden for nothing. Harden wants out, and the 76ers should accommodate him as soon as possible so that the franchise can move forward without being held back by a player whose overestimation of his abilities markedly contrasts with his epic playoff failures, culminating in his disappearing act in a game seven loss versus Boston last May.
James Harden is as Good at Burning Bridges as He is at Bricking Playoff Three Pointers
I already wrote about James Harden's hubris and lack of loyalty, and I did not plan to write about Harden again unless/until the Philadelphia 76ers traded him or it was time to do my 2023-24 season preview articles. However, Harden pushed his way back into the headlines by declaring, "Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that
he's a part of. Let
me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of
an organization that he's a part of." Harden declined to specify what he believes that Morey lied about, so Harden's claim cannot be assessed on its merits.
However, we learned that Morey is either a liar or delusional when he ranked Harden ahead of Michael Jordan as a scorer. In 2019, Chris Paul claimed that Morey lied to him with assurances that he would not be traded just days before Morey traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder. So, even though there is no public evidence that Morey lied to Harden it would not be shocking if Morey lied to Harden--and it would also not be shocking if Harden is lying, because Harden has a track record of burning any bridges that need to be burned to assure his hasty departure from teams for which he no longer wishes to play, and it is reasonable to believe that a person who will cheat the game by reporting to camp out of shape and not playing hard is a person who would lie to get his way.
Instead of leaving it to media members to speculate about why Harden blasted the man who is most responsible for Harden receiving generational wealth to flop and flail, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver or one of his deputies should ask Harden to specify what exactly Morey allegedly lied about. If Morey merely told Harden that he would trade him and then was unwilling or unable to trade him, there is nothing for the league office to be concerned about--but if Morey told Harden that if Harden took a pay cut (as Harden did) then he would be rewarded with a huge contract extension that is a violation of the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, which has strict rules against making promises that would enable teams to keep a player for a cap-friendly deal and make up the difference later when that team's payroll does not exceed the salary cap.
The publicly known facts are that in the summer of 2022 Harden did not utilize his player option for a $47.4 million contract for the 2022-23 season and he instead signed for $33 million plus a $35.6 million option for 2023-24; this summer, Harden exercised the $35.6 million option and then immediately demanded that the 76ers trade him.
It is obvious that something does not add up here. If Harden believed that his market value is high then he would have declined his 2023-24 option and become a free agent, confident that his desired team would outbid the 76ers for his services; of course, Harden's pathetic elimination game resume--to which he added yet another awful stat line in 2023 (nine points, five turnovers, 3-11 field goal shooting in a game seven loss to Boston)--is just one of many reasons that no one is lining up for the "privilege" of paying Harden $40 million or more for the upcoming season only to see Harden pull off his annual playoff disappearing act. The most logical reason for Harden to turn down $47.4 million, take much less money, demand a trade, and criticize his greatest benefactor is if Harden believes that Morey promised to give him a huge, multi-year contract extension this summer; if Harden expected that to happen and Morey (or the 76ers' owners) said no, then it would make sense--at least from Harden's warped perspective of entitlement--that Harden would grab all of the money that he could (his player option) and angrily ask to be traded.
The larger point here is that--to use a politically incorrect phrase that is nevertheless apt--the inmates are running the asylum, which the great Julius Erving said recently when he explained why he left several of the best modern players off of his all-time greatest players list. The way that the system is supposed to work--in society as a whole, and in the NBA in particular--is that after two parties sign a contract both parties honor that contract. You may share my distaste for how LeBron James left Cleveland in 2010, but LeBron James waited until his contract expired and then he had every legal right to seek employment with a different team--but what James Harden, Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and other big name players have done in recent years is sign big money contracts and then not only demand a trade but also arrogantly assume that they have the right to pick where they are traded, in blatant violation of the terms of their contract.
We may never find out if Morey lied to Harden, but if Morey lied to Harden with promises of a big money deal then Harden would have to admit to breaking salary cap rules to prove that Morey lied. Harden may not have thought all of this through before he opened his bearded mouth and attacked his biggest fan, or Harden may just believe that if he makes the situation toxic enough then he will get his way, an approach that worked for him on his way out of first Houston and then Brooklyn.
Harden could have avoided all of this by declining his option and offering his services on the open market. The reason that Harden did not do that is the same reason that Lillard squeezed every penny out of the Portland Trail Blazers before demanding that the team trade him to Miami: both players know that they are not worth nearly as much on the open market as they would like to be paid.
Harden and Lillard appear to believe that they can get away with not showing up for work until they are traded to their respective desired destinations, but any player who does not show up for training camp or who shows up for training camp looking like he is wearing a fat suit in preparation for portraying Professor Klump in "The Nutty Professor" should be suspended without pay. If I were Morey, I would tell Coach Nick Nurse to have Harden run laps for every missed shot and turnover in game seven versus Boston, and if Harden balked I would have him escorted out of the practice facility sans paycheck. The 76ers suspended Ben Simmons in a similar circumstance before trading him for Harden, but Harden has more power than Simmons so Philadelphia fans should brace themselves for a few games of "fat Harden" before the crisis reaches a boiling point and Morey ships Harden out. Maybe Morey will channel Michael Jordan and "take personally" Harden's public verbal assault on his character. Harden clearly thinks that he has all of the leverage, but maybe he has overplayed his hand and will be forced to "settle" for being paid over $35 million to play for Philadelphia next season.
I was a big 76ers fan as a kid, before I realized that I was more of a Julius Erving fan than a 76ers fan; after Erving retired, my attachment to the team faded, and then completely disappeared after Sam Hinkie attempted to "Tank to the Top" (an unfortunate book title which does not at all describe what happened). Reigning regular season MVP Joel Embiid is all that remains from Hinkie's infamous "Process," and it would be fascinating to hear Embiid's honest opinions about Harden and Morey. Of course, the oft-injured and never in top condition Embiid should perhaps lead a team past the second round of the playoffs before he points fingers at others.
Harden’s Hubris, Lillard’s Situational Loyalty, and ESPN Abandons Even the Pretense of Providing Substantive Commentary
NBA free agency 2023 has just begun, but there has already been a flurry of activity. Three stories in particular caught my eye so far, and none of the stories relates to a player who has changed teams (at least up to this point): James Harden once again demanded to be traded after doing little to improve his current team, Damian Lillard asked to be traded after spending his whole career bragging about how loyal he is to Portland, and ESPN got rid of several credible commentators while retaining the services of "Screamin' A" Smith and other no-nothing blowhards.
Harden has never pretended to be loyal, nor has he ever shown self-awareness about his basketball abilities. Harden lusted after the money and accolades of a number one option without ever having the ideal mentality or game to be a number one option on a legit championship contender; instead of staying with the Oklahoma City Thunder to be the third option in an organically constructed "Big Three" with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Harden fled to Houston seeking money and individual glory. Harden's sorry elimination game resume--to which Harden added yet another awful stat line in 2023 (nine points, five turnovers, 3-11 field goal shooting in a game seven loss to Boston)--speaks for itself.
As Harden's career winds down, he is shamelessly jumping from team to team trying in vain to be what he should have been all along--the third option on a championship contender; he quit on the Rockets to force his way to Brooklyn (and reunite with Durant, who won two rings without Harden), then he whined his way out of Brooklyn to reunite with his biggest fan (Daryl Morey, who called Harden a better offensive player than Michael Jordan) in Philadelphia, and now Harden has exercised his $35.6 million player option for 2023-24 before making it clear that he prefers to hitch his wagon to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George of the L.A. Clippers, presumably believing that this duo has enough talent to overcome his perpetual playoff choking and deliver him a championship ring.
It will be fascinating to see how Morey handles this situation. Morey has devoted his career to slavishly admiring Harden, but Morey is known as a tough negotiator who is comfortable being uncomfortable: will Morey stand firm to get the best possible return for the 76ers (which is, after all, the job Morey is being paid to do), or will he cave in and lovingly send Harden to Harden's preferred destination regardless of what the Clippers offer in return? It will also be interesting to see when/if the 76ers' ownership group becomes fed up with being led by the nose by a series of "stat gurus" (first Sam Hinkie, now Daryl Morey) whose devotion to "advanced basketball statistics" has yet to lift the 76ers past the second round of the playoffs.
While Harden is a basketball mercenary/pirate seeking personal glory with little regard to the carnage he leaves behind with each of his former teams, Lillard's brand is built in no small part on his character and loyalty. Just a few months ago, I wrote about Lillard's Loyalty; my analysis of his skills was on point, but my praise for his loyalty was premature. This is not about Lillard's right to seek employment elsewhere, because I am not questioning that; my point is that no one forced Lillard to write an article titled "Loyalty Over Everything" in which he almost broke his arm patting himself on the back for his character, toughness, and loyalty:
I'm
saying, you think you know how deep this goes, but you have no idea.
When I say that I will never, ever switch up on the city of Portland, I
mean what I say. When I say that I will never, ever switch up on this
organization, I mean what I say.
They
might switch up on me. That's business. That's basketball. But I will
never switch up on the city. I don't want it easy. I'm drawn to the
struggle. When I came here, we hadn't won a playoff series since 2000.
You had so many injuries to franchise guys like Brandon Roy and Greg
Oden over the years, and it's so tough to come back from that. Even
going way back, you had All-Stars like Clyde Drexler and Bill Walton who
didn't choose to end their careers as a Blazer.
Well, I'm going to be that. I'm going to carry that. I'm going to bring a ring to this city or go down swinging...
I ain't turning my back on the city, because the city has been riding with me since Day One.
I'm
not for the fake or the pretend. Too much of that going around these
days. I'm for the authentic. It's the same as it was when we were
sleeping four-to-a-motel-room with the Rebels. I'm trying to win with my
people. Everything I ever experienced, every chapter of it, the good
and the bad and the grimy, that's what made me.
At best, the above paragraphs now sound corny and contrived; at worst, Lillard looks like a liar, or at least like someone who lacks the inner strength to stay true to his expressed core beliefs. Don't tell us "I'm going to bring a ring to this city or go down swinging" and then beg to be traded to Miami to hook up with a team that has reached the NBA Finals twice in the past four seasons without you. Going to the Heat is the opposite of being "drawn to the struggle"; it is hitching your wagon to Jimmy Butler's star, and hoping to ride all the way to a championship.
Lillard's trade request makes one reevaluate his whole career, because it is just not clear what he wants or what he ever wanted. It has always been evident to any informed observer that Lillard is not good enough to be the best player on a legitimate championship contender (every time I hear someone compare Lillard or Chris Paul to Isiah Thomas I feel physically ill, because Thomas--in marked contrast to Lillard and Paul--joined a lousy NBA team, stayed with that team his whole career, and won two titles while facing Bird, Magic, and Jordan in their primes). Thus, if Lillard's main goal is to win a title then he should have been taking less money throughout his career so that the Trail Blazers could sign a player who is qualified to be a legit number one option for a championship contender. If Lillard's main goal is to make as much money as possible, then there is nothing wrong with him signing max deals even though that did not leave enough money available to build a legit championship contender--and there is no reason for him to leave Portland, because Portland can pay him more than any other team. More to the point, if Lillard is really the ride or die type of guy that he has always portrayed himself to be then he should never have asked for a trade.
It is not clear what changed to induce Lillard to renounce a central aspect of his public identity; it is not a newsflash that the Trail Blazers have not provided the superstar and role players that Lillard would need to seriously contend for a title--and Lillard never publicly complained about that--so it is odd that all of a sudden Lillard changed his tune and decided to join the team-hopping brigade, which includes LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Harden, and Kyrie Irving. At least James, Durant, and Leonard can plausibly argue that they bring championship contention with them in their suitcases; Harden, Irving, and now Lillard show up asking (metaphorically) "Who is going to carry me to the mountaintop?"
It is also not clear what the Heat are thinking if it is true that they are eager to acquire Lillard. The Denver Nuggets bludgeoned the Heat in the paint at both ends of the court in the 2023 NBA Finals, so adding the undersized Lillard and his infamous logo shots to the mix in no way positions the Heat to beat the Nuggets in a playoff series, nor does it position the Heat to beat a full strength Milwaukee team (or any other elite team that uses its size effectively). Lillard could help the Heat's inconsistent offense, but that is not enough to win a title.
Shifting focus to the people who cover the NBA, it is disappointing--but, sadly, not surprising--that ESPN let go several outstanding commentators, including Jeff Van Gundy and Jalen Rose (plus Steve Young, perhaps the network's most insightful NFL analyst). ESPN's NBA analysis is now reduced to Tim Legler--who is outstanding--and a few games per season during which the legendary Hubie Brown provides color commentary. Other than Legler and Brown, when one watches ESPN's NBA coverage one can abandon all hope of hearing intelligent commentary (Mark Jackson is solid, but why isn't more made of the fact that he left Nikola Jokic off of his 2023 regular season MVP ballot?).
Rose was one of the few ESPN commentators who would contradict nonsense even if it was spouted by another ESPN commentator. Rose used the phrase "concert tour" to describe James Harden's ridiculously poor playoff field goal percentages (Harden's numbers look like spring or summer concert tour dates, such as 5-13); that turn of phrase--both funny and insightful--is typical of the perspective that Rose provided. He was the entertaining and intelligent commentator that "Screamin' A" believes himself to be.
No one gets everything right in terms of predictions or skill set analysis, but the best commentators view the game in a way that consistently enables them to provide insights that elude many media members and "stat gurus." Hopefully, TNT or NBA TV will pick up the ball dropped by ESPN, and hire Rose and Van Gundy.
Nurse is Unlikely to Cure What Ails 76ers Because Coaching is not the Team's Problem
The Philadelphia 76ers have hired Nick Nurse, who led the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA title, to replace the fired Doc Rivers as their coach. Rivers inherited a Philadelphia 76ers team that went 43-30 (.589 winning percentage) in the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 season, and the 76ers posted a better record than that in each of his three seasons: 49-23 (.681) in 2021, 51-31 (.622) in 2022, and 54-28 (.659) in 2023. The 76ers lost in the second round of the playoffs in each of Rivers' three seasons, so Rivers--the 2000 NBA Coach of the Year who led the 2008 Boston Celtics to the NBA title--took the fall.
Nurse is an excellent coach, but it is not clear what he can do to cure the team's three main problems:
1) Joel Embiid's propensity to be injured and ineffective in the playoffs, which may be connected with the fact that he rarely seems to be in tip top physical condition.
2) James Harden's propensity to disappear in elimination games, which he did again in 2023 with nine points on 3-11 field goal shooting as the Boston Celtics routed the 76ers, 112-88. In that game Harden produced yet another "Harden"--he had more turnovers (five) than field goals made.
3) Philadelphia's President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey is delusional enough to assert that James Harden is a greater scorer than Michael Jordan, a stance that Morey has not renounced. Delusional thinking does not tend to lead to rational decisions. Morey has claimed for two decades that his use of "advanced basketball statistics" provides a tangible advantage, a claim that is belied by his record in Houston and Philadelphia.
The main image/sound bite that I will remember from Rivers' Philadelphia tenure is his annual sideline pleas to his team during playoff timeouts to play hard, a plea that fell on deaf ears. Are we supposed to believe that when Nurse begs Embiid, Harden, and company to play hard the players will comply?
The 76ers are built on a faulty foundation of tanking despite the reality that tanking does not work. A large body of evidence indicates that a team run by Daryl Morey that relies on Joel Embiid and James Harden will max out by losing in the second round, and there is no reason to believe that Nurse will change that.
Jayson Tatum Scores Game Seven Record 51 Points as Celtics Roll Over Listless 76ers, 112-88
Jayson Tatum, much criticized for his slow starts and inconsistent performances in Boston's second round series versus Philadelphia, used his closing spurt in game six as a springboard to an epic 51 point outburst in game seven, leading the Celtics to a 112-88 rout of the 76ers while breaking Stephen Curry's 50 point game seven record set 13 days ago. Tatum shot 17-28 from the field (including 6-10 from three point range) while grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds and passing for a team-high five assists. He showed off his well developed, all-around offensive game, scoring from all three levels while committing no turnovers in 41 minutes. Tatum also played excellent defense. He put on a master class of how a superstar plays elite level basketball in a win or go home game. The mentoring that Tatum received from Kobe Bryant was very evident during this performance. It is pathetic that when Tatum revealed years ago that he sought guidance from Bryant some "stat gurus" asserted that Bryant would ruin Tatum's game by teaching him the supposedly outdated midrange game instead of the three point shot/free throw game preferred by "stat gurus."
Jaylen Brown also played very well, finishing with 25 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocked shots. At the 8:26 mark of the second quarter, James Harden received a flagrant foul after elbowing Brown in the face hard enough to draw blood but--amazingly--Brown did not need a wheelchair and he was able to keep playing. Brown made both free throws, and the Celtics closed the second quarter with a 28-17 run to take a 55-52 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Tatum outscored the 76ers 17-10, the other Celtics scored 16 points, and it was a wrap heading into the fourth quarter with the Celtics leading 88-62. Anonymous sideline sources texted me and stated that James Harden led a "1, 2, 3 Cancun" chant during a huddle but I have not been able to confirm that with "Woj" (sorry, but I couldn't resist trying to break news like "Woj," Chris Haynes, and Dave "Vampire" McMenamin).
Two players who did not excel during this game are the 2023 NBA regular season MVP Joel Embiid, and James Harden, the player who Daryl Morey ranks as a greater scorer than Michael Jordan. Embiid scored 15 points on 5-18 field goal shooting. He had eight rebounds, two assists, and four turnovers, almost accomplishing a "Harden" (a new statistical category comprised of a playoff game during which a player has more turnovers than field goals made). Anonymous sources texted me and said that two-time regular season MVP Nikola Jokic has filed theft charges and requested that the authorities retrieve his stolen 2023 MVP trophy from Embiid (sorry, but I just cannot resist trying out my "breaking news" chops).
Harden's 2023 concert tour concluded with a 3-11 grand finale, and a "Harden" as he finished with more turnovers (five) than field goals made. Even when the 76ers were ahead of Brooklyn 2-0 in the first round, I noted that a statistic to watch this postseason will be Harden's turnover/field goals made ratio, pointing out that in Harden's previous six playoff games he had made 32 field
goals while committing 30 turnovers. Yes, a player who was selected to
the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team
and was paid $33 million this season regularly struggles to amass more
field goals made than turnovers in the games that matter most. Harden's nine total points and his second half disappearing act (three points, 1-3 field goal shooting, two turnovers after his team trailed by just three points at intermission) are exactly what should be expected from him based on what he has delivered throughout his playoff career, particularly in elimination games.
Tobias Harris led the 76ers with 19 points, and Tyrese Maxey added 17 points, but that was not nearly enough to make up for how poorly Embiid and Harden played. I was baffled to listen to the usually sensible Greg Anthony and Sam Mitchell make excuses for Embiid and Harden by asserting that they do not have enough help. If Embiid and Harden put up 70-80 combined points on efficient shooting and the 76ers lost then perhaps that argument would hold water, but after this game no one should say anything about the supporting cast.
The 76ers' stars failed--period, point blank, end of discussion.
It should be an interesting offseason for the 76ers. Last year after "experts" praised the Embiid-Harden duo, I wrote, "I am not sure yet who will win the Eastern Conference, but I would be
very surprised if the Philadelphia 76ers win the Eastern Conference; it
is much more likely that within the next two to three years Harden will
be sulking, whining, and pouting his way out of Philadelphia, while
Embiid continues to battle injuries." It is unfortunate that Coach Doc Rivers, the only key member of the 76ers who has won a championship, may take the fall for Morey's foolishness and the disappearing acts of Embiid and Harden. Other than begging his players to play harder--a recurring theme during Rivers' tenure with the 76ers--what magical "adjustment" is Rivers supposed to make? The "experts" love talking about adjustments, but those who understand basketball know that so-called adjustments are overrated.
After the game, Embiid said, "Me and James can't win alone." Really? That is the league MVP's assessment after a game seven during which he and Harden combined to score 24 points on 8-29 field goal shooting with nine turnovers, the treasured combo "Harden" with more turnovers than field goals made. Anyone who compared the Embiid-Harden duo to Moses Malone-Julius Erving or any other all-time great duo should have his press credential revoked and his sanity evaluated.
The book Five Star Basketballincludes some of the best lectures given at the legendary basketball camp, and is a must-read for players who want to improve and for fans who want to better understand the game; instead of listening to "Screamin' A," Wilbon and the other talking heads/screaming heads who do not understand basketball, turn off the pregame/postgame shows (except for TNT's shows, of course) and read this book. One of the lectures is by Hubie Brown. Brown declared, "Don't tell me how hard you've got it. I want to know what you got. I showed you six different things today to give you something with the pressure on. Can you score in the lane? Do you understand that taking the hook from your hip instead of from your chest keeps you from getting it blocked? Do you understand the pin when a guy fronts you in the post? Do you understand how to attack the trap?"
Joel Embiid and James Harden showed us what they have, and it is evident that they do not have the all-around games needed to lead a team to victory in the second round of the playoffs. The Celtics crowded Embiid and Harden, and neither player had countermoves beyond overdribbling, turning the ball over, or making long, loping crosscourt passes that did not threaten the defense.
Before the Celtics won game seven, at least one Philadelphia writer suggested that a 76ers loss could lead to the Process 2.0. Anyone who received a check for the book "Tanking to the Top" should refund all proceeds on the basis of profiting based on false pretenses. The current version of the 76ers has not reached the top, and if they ever do it will not be from tanking because tanking does not work. It is reasonable to assert that the 76ers need to make changes, but maybe they should learn from the fiascos of the past decade and try to build a good foundation instead of ripping everything apart to lose intentionally.
The 76ers are difficult to ignore because of the outlandish stupidity of how the team was built via tanking and then believing that the Embiid-Harden duo would be great in the playoffs, but the Celtics deserve praise for staying the course through the ups and downs not just of this series but of the past several years. They have now reached the Eastern Conference Finals five times in the past seven seasons. Anyone trying to understand the distinction between a fluky Conference Finals appearance (hello Houston's James Harden, Atlanta's Trae Young, and Portland's Damian Lillard) versus sustained and sustainable excellence should just watch some game tapes of the Tatum-Brown Celtics to become educated. Rookie Coach Joe Mazzulla, the youngest coach in the NBA, is not perfect--no one is perfect--but he replaced the disgraced Ime Udoka on short notice and he has done an excellent job overall of leading this team to the NBA's version of the Final Four.
"A work of art contains its verification in itself: artificial, strained concepts do not withstand the test of being turned into images; they fall to pieces, turn out to be sickly and pale, convince no one. Works which draw on truth and present it to us in live and concentrated form grip us, compellingly involve us, and no one ever, not even ages hence, will come forth to refute them."--Alexander Solzhenitsyn (Nobel Lecture)
"The most 'popular,' the most 'successful' writers among us (for a brief period, at least) are, 99 times out of a hundred, persons of mere effrontery--in a word, busy-bodies, toadies, quacks."--Edgar Allan Poe
"In chess what counts is what you know, not whom you know. It's the way life is supposed to be, democratic and just."--Grandmaster Larry Evans
"It's not nuclear physics. You always remember that. But if you write about sports long enough, you're constantly coming back to the point that something buoys people; something makes you feel better for having been there. Something of value is at work there...Something is hallowed here. I think that something is excellence."--Tom Callahan
