There are many factors to blame for the Brooklyn Nets’ second-round playoff exit, but James Harden should not be one of them.
Despite having three of the best players in the league, the Nets fell short on their Finals-or-bust expectations this season. That being said, it shouldn’t be looked at as a complete failure given the tough injury luck the Nets ran into this postseason. Kyrie Irving missed the final three games of the series against the Bucks and James Harden just never looked like himself.
Harden played just one minute of Game 1 against the Bucks before being removed with a hamstring injury. It was later ruled as a Grade 2 strain, and Harden would sit the next three games before returning for Game 5 in a tied series. Harden probably wasn’t practicing due to the injury, and we saw the rust and difficulty he had finding any rhythm on the floor. He shot just 1-for-10 from the field and finished with five points in 46 minutes. The Nets still won thanks to Durant’s 49-point triple-double performance.
Statistically, Harden played a little better in Game 6, posting 16 points on a 5-for-9 from the field and 3-for-6 from 3-point range. Harden logged 40 minutes, but his ability to take over the game was lacking and the Nets lost 104-89.
Harden’s struggles showed in Game 7, finishing with 22 points on 5-for-17 shooting and 2-for-12 from 3 as the Nets fell short in overtime. It was a poor performance by his standards in 53 minutes, but Harden is not the sole reason for the team’s second-round exit.
Don’t blame James Harden for the Nets’ second-round playoff exit
If everything was accurate with the injury report, Harden was essentially playing on one leg in those final three games. If there’s anyone to blame, I think it should be head coach Steve Nash. Of course, Harden is going to say he’s fine and insist on playing despite injury or fatigue, but for Nash to leave him out there when he was clearly struggling was foolish.
You have a bench for a reason, and if Nash doesn’t trust Landry Shamet to give production for more than seven minutes in Game 7, why is he on the team? This is a perfect example of why, despite having some of the greatest talent in the league, the head coach still has to pull the right strings.