A degree guard’s job is to make his teammates’ photographs simpler. James Harden has spent his profession doing this. He has received an MVP, led the NBA in assists and earned some huge cash for lots of teammates by means of his exceptional passing. For components of this season, that playmaking acumen has helped the Clippers play like a real championship contender. On Wednesday, nevertheless, Harden took the alternative method.
Relatively than giving Kawhi Leonard a straightforward 3-point try from the nook, Harden went out of his solution to make the look tougher. With the Clippers main the Path Blazers 81-60, Harden handed the ball to Leonard and determined to observe that move to the nook and throw up an arm seemingly in an try to contest the very shot he’d created. Leonard, both resulting from Harden’s odd selection or random taking pictures variance, missed the look.
Harden tried to elucidate the choice after the Clippers’ 116-103 victory in Portland. “I used to be attempting to convey some pleasure to this workforce,” Harden mentioned. “I feel these previous few weeks have been a fog for us. I feel each workforce goes by means of it. So I feel it was simply me attempting to create vitality, create a fantastic vibe for this workforce. Perhaps it will’ve been higher if he had made the shot, however give them one thing to snigger about, some pleasure.”
The Clippers actually wanted some form of vibe shift. They entered Wednesday’s recreation at 8-10 of their previous 18 video games. After trying like a potential No. 1 seed within the Western Convention by means of December and January, they’re now at risk of slipping all the best way to fifth. Nonetheless, on the uncommon events we have seen performs like this, they’ve come from groups with a bit extra respiratory room.
In 2019, as an example, LeBron James jokingly tried to dam a layup from teammate Rajon Rondo. There have been a number of key variations in that play. First, because it was a layup, James could possibly be moderately sure that he would not take Rondo’s factors off of the board. Second, James was jokingly retaliating as a result of Rondo had faked a lob move to him on that very play. Third, and maybe most significantly, the Lakers had been 23-3 when this occurred.
In a 21-point recreation towards one of many worst groups within the NBA, a single second like this is not more likely to change an consequence. Harden himself mentioned after the sport that he obtained the enjoyable second for his teammates that he was in search of. However a 21-point lead is hardly safe within the fashionable NBA. Lower than a month in the past, the Clippers blew a 21-point result in the Lakers and misplaced a recreation they need to have simply received. If there is a time and place for making an attempt to dam your individual teammate, it in all probability is not in the course of the third quarter in a recreation that’s nonetheless conceivably losable, particularly for a workforce that is not taking part in its greatest basketball in the meanwhile.