James Harden Has Become the Unlikely Hero of the NBA Playoffs

Earlier than sport one of many Japanese Convention Semifinals in Boston, James Harden was able to make an announcement. The earlier spherical, his Philadelphia 76ers had disposed of the far inferior Brooklyn Nets in a clear sweep, however not with out penalties: MVP Joel Embiid sprained his proper knee through the collection and was dominated out for sport one in opposition to the East’s number-two seed. Harden, who has had a reasonably checkered playoff history, and who not appears to be the one-man offense he was as a Houston Rocket, can be the focus of his staff’s assault. Strolling by the tunnel on the TD Backyard, Harden made it abundantly clear that he was prepared for the second: he emerged from the staff bus trying like Grimace from McDonald’s rocking a fleece, with pops of neon yellow accenting pants so dishevelled he may have smuggled teammates into the stadium. 

The outfit, like lots of Harden’s, was sufficient to trigger a stir, however he backed it up with an out-of-nowhere 45 factors, six help efficiency. Harden skeptics warned that he has proven these on-the-court flashes earlier than—that one sport wouldn’t change the narrative. And but, together with his boldly nutso outfit decisions, classic one-man-band efforts on the court docket, and at the very least one heart-warming charitable act, James Harden has emerged as one thing nobody would have anticipated: the hero of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

It took a minute for him to get going: Harden shot a paltry 2-14 in sport two. The Sixers misplaced sport three, as properly—and Harden performed horribly. Maybe the main target of movie room research between video games three and 4 shifted from on-court ways to off-court choices, as a result of after rocking humdrum suits to video games two and three, Harden arrived in Philadelphia forward of sport 4 in enviable style. Let’s begin from the highest. A pinstripe bucket hat with the phrase “WAR” emblazoned in pink and purple cartoon letters? Hell yeah. Not one however two of the very same “UNO” chains? Uh huh. A white leather-based chore coat with silver studs and ¾-arm sleeves? Now we’re speaking. From the soar, it was clear that sport 4 can be Harden’s night time. Not solely did he hit the game-winning three pointer to offer Philly the win and tie up the collection, however he was clearly the most effective participant on the ground once more, taking up for an clearly hampered Embiid.

The statistics make the case higher than I can: previous to sport 5, Harden was averaging 43.5 factors per sport and 6.5 three pointers made per sport within the staff’s two wins and 14 factors and one three-pointer per sport throughout their losses. In these two losses–throughout which he was not his greatest dressed self–he shot an astoundingly unhealthy 5-28.

To throw a wrench within the model hypotheses, right here’s the mind-boggling screwiness of Harden’s inconsistencies. He’s dressed like a madman for a decade, and has persistently among the finest common season gamers within the NBA. When the stakes get highest, although, he struggles. NBA professional Zach Lowe defined it succinctly on his podcast, The Lowe Post: “I did the deep dive. Harden’s 4th quarter numbers, in massive video games, in elimination video games, in 2-2 collection video games, are unhealthy,” he says. “His crunch time numbers are unhealthy. Most of his greatest playoff video games are when his staff is up 3-0, down 3-0, up 3-1, down 3-1.” However possibly—simply possibly—one thing’s totally different this time round. In spite of everything, he invited Michigan State College capturing sufferer John Hao to sport 4 and gave him a signed pair of sneakers. He even demanded the Sixers deal with Hao for sport six.