One other Recreation 7, one other James Harden disasterclass.
On Saturday, the Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Denver Nuggets, 120-101, for an underwhelming end to an epic first-round collection.
It was notably tough for Harden, who repeated his historical past of terrible Recreation 7s.
Harden scored seven factors, his fewest ever in a Recreation 7, on 2-of-8 taking pictures (1-of-4 on threes). His 13 assists saved him from a very horrid field rating, however that baker’s dozen cannot masks the stench of his putrid efficiency.
It harkened again to 2023’s 14-point East semifinals loss to the Celtics, when Harden was with the Sixers, or a 2021 East semis loss to the Bucks as a Brooklyn Internet.
In seven profession Recreation 7s, Harden is 3-4, together with his final win coming within the 2020s Disney bubble with the Rockets. In these seven video games, Harden has averaged 19.3 factors on 35.5 p.c taking pictures, together with 22.4 p.c from past the arc, with 7.9 assists and 4 turnovers per sport.
Harden was a facilitator for the Clippers, taking his fewest shot makes an attempt in his sordid Recreation 7 historical past. Contemplating his tough taking pictures numbers on his restricted makes an attempt, that will have been for the most effective. However for a participant who would not provide a lot on the defensive finish, Harden’s disappearing act on offense in his staff’s most essential video games has made him a net-negative in these moments.
Harden, who turns 36 in August, has a June 29 deadline to say no his $36.3 million participant choice. Along with his diminishing on-court returns, the Clippers may be higher off if he did.
