Rockets star James Harden torched the Clippers on Wednesday night for 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in just 30 minutes of work as Houston easily defeated Los Angeles by a final score of 135-103. Pretty difficult to find anything to criticize there, right?
Well, not if you're Don MacLean. With Harden standing at the free throw line in the fourth quarter, the Clippers color commentator explained to play-by-play announcer Ralph Lawler why what Harden has done this season "isn't basketball."
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"I just feel like, Ralph, this style, what Harden does, is manipulating the game somehow," MacLean said. "Almost like cheating it. I don't really have a thought beyond that other than I'm watching something that isn't basketball. To me, basketball is player movement, ball movement, designed plays. Not just a guy walking it up and isolating every time...
"It's not like within the system he's getting all these numbers. The system is built for him."
MacLean played in the NBA for nearly a decade, so he knows the game. He calls games from a Clippers perspective, so it's understandable that he might lean toward LA when discussing close calls or comparisons to other team's players. With that said, this comes off as lazy analysis for three main reasons.
1. Harden isn't cheating the game, and he's definitely playing basketball. Let's start there. It's undeniably basketball. There's a hoop and everything!
His style has propelled the Rockets to the top of the West and nearly helped Houston take down Golden State's dynasty in last year's Western Conference finals. Mike D'Antoni figured out a winning formula and pushed it to the extreme.
(Side note: Maybe don't talk about another guy cheating the game when you're the first NBA player ever suspended for using steroids?)
2. Walking it up and running a Harden isolation play every time is actually an extremely efficient play. Harden averages 18.2 points on 16.6 isolation possessions per game (1.10 points per possession, 92.1 percentile). Harden has logged an insane 1,242 isolation possessions this season (more than any NBA team), and yet his efficiency hasn't dropped.
And it's not as though Harden never involves his teammates. Those constant isolation possessions create mismatches and allow Harden to dissect a defense with pinpoint passing. He's dishing out 7.5 assists per game in addition to his scoring load. Houston's role players certainly aren't complaining about how Harden operates.
3. The system isn't built for Harden. The system is Harden.
The Rockets had the highest offensive rating in the league last season (114.0), and they are second this year (114.5) just behind the Warriors (115.0). That's largely a reflection of how transcendent Harden has been. Perhaps LeBron James or Stephen Curry could approach similar numbers if they switched places with Harden, but we're talking about some of the best players in NBA history.
MacLean should have followed the lead of the Kings TV crew and simply appreciated Harden's excellence.
"He makes it look easy. It is not easy."
The #UnguardableTour has become the #WinTheNaysayersOverTour for @JHarden13. #Rockets pic.twitter.com/eO9CMK8xxQ
— Adam Clanton (@adamclanton) April 3, 2019
