James Harden is a future Hall of Famer and rightfully belongs on the NBA’s 75th anniversary team. But his postseason flameouts warrant not a chapter but an entire book.
There was the 2012 NBA Finals when Harden scored in single digits in three of the five games. Then, there was Game 5 of the 2015 West Finals where Harden shot 2-of-11 and committed a playoff record 12 turnovers. Who could forget his disastrous showing in Game 6 of the second round versus the Spurs in 2017? Or most recently, his meltdown in Game 7 of the 2023 East semifinals against the Celtics?
Clippers fans had the displeasure of experiencing Harden’s latest postseason flameout Wednesday as “The Beard” went 2-of-12 from the field in a critical Game 5 against the Mavericks.