James Harden, can we really have a conversation?

Credit: ESPN NBA

"I just want a fair chance" - James Harden on Western Conference Game 1 officiating 

Last night, the Rockets suffered a 104-100 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the opening game of a highly-anticipated Western Conference Semifinal series. The game was intense from the jump. We saw KD's high level streak continue and Steph Curry dagger the hearts of Houston and the Warriors skeptics. However, the story of the game is the Rockets critique of the officiating, specifically from James Harden. 

Now before we get to my take, I want to start off by saying that there were some missed calls on Harden during the game that are deemed as very blatant from the view from my couch but my take is a little different from the majority here.

I think people around the NBA and fans from all over need to first identify the role of the referee, it is to officiate. Their role is not to dictate the outcome of the game. Though this line is often blurred, it is key to identify their role in every NBA game. 

Another key point and probably the biggest here is James Harden's game. Harden is not only one of the most prolific scorers of the game today but is one of the best scorers we have ever witnessed in professional basketball. Harden is coming off of his seventh straight 25 PPG season and the most recent includes a year of averaging more than 36 per contest. 

James Harden step back/Credit: Houston Chronicle

Harden is an anomaly because though he very deceptively skilled, his game exposes the grey areas and the crevices in the rules. 

His most controversial move is his step back. Harden is one of my favorite active players in the league, but we do have to be honest here and say the move is a travel more often times than not. 

The reason why the step back is not called a travel leads me to my original point that the ref's job is not to dictate the outcome of the game. Harden places the league in a tough spot because he does the move in abundance and calling a travel every other offensive possession stops the flow of the game and it kills the enjoyment and entertainment of the on screen product.

Harden's step back ultimately puts Harden in a tougher spot most of the time. The move is a step back and not a step forward. He is making the shot harder by adding approximately five feet to his three point shot. Hence, why I side with the refs in not calling a travel. If he wants to make every shot tougher by traveling backwards, by all means be my guest. 

Harden's issue is that his game is predicated on getting calls and keeping defenders hesitant and on their toes. A lot of times this works in his favor but there are games where it hurts him. We have witnessed games where Harden is having a tough night shooting and struggles more because he is not getting calls and not getting to the free throw line. This is especially evident in the playoffs, how can we forget the multiple meltdowns? 

In yesterdays game specifically, if you watch the film, Harden does his usual step back move and then jumps forward into his shot. 

Due to the infamous Kawhi injury on Zaza's closeout that did not give him the space to land on a corner three, the NBA has placed an emphasis on making sure the shooter can safely land their feet. 

My issue with this in game one is that Harden does the move and then jump forward into the defender's momentum. I just think this is virtually impossible to stop as a defender. How do you close out on an offensive player that gets the amount of unregulated space to go backwards and then jumps forward into the shot? The answer is that you can not, at least not enough to effectively contest the shooter. 

"Just call the game the way it’s supposed to be called and we’ll live with the results.” - James Harden

The game favors the offensive player in terms of officiating but I think Harden's style of play puts the defender and a severe disadvantage if you consistently make this call. 

Harden is not a victim of bad officiating. He actually benefits from officiating and draws fouls at eye-opening rates. 

Great players adapt. Great teams adapt. 

Harden did this to Curry that was also not called/Credit: Redit (rWarriors)

So if I am a ref, and I am allowing you to travel backwards to create space and then you subsequently eliminate a portion of that space by jumping forward, I feel that you are asking for too much as a player. It's a reward and an incentive to already going against the rules.

Harden often initiates contact with his strong frame and then exaggerates the contact he receives from defenders or the lack there of. 

People also forget the amount of free throws he shot in the first half and this very problematic late call that he received early in the game. 

Additionally, to the Rockets in general, can we please stop acting as if you did not just shoot 29% from three as a team? The Rockets shot a total of 47 threes and missed 33 of them, 12 of which came from Harden himself. Harden shot 32% from the field in game one so I disagree with his notion of placing blame on the refs for the loss. 

On an important side-note, Clint Capela's weaknesses were on full display. He is a high energy player that rebounds at a good rate, protects the rim and finishes well around the rim when put the opportunity is provided. The issue with his game is that he can not provide for himself offensively. He is not a scorer by nature. He was not aggressive enough. Houston needs him to step up offensively and to be honest I do not see him answering the call in this series. 

Bottom line, if we want to put Harden on this pedestal as being a top 5 player in the NBA, we need to hold him accountable. Let us please call a spade a spade and realize that Harden's game is too reliant and dependent on the calls that he gets and that he has not been knocking down his shots. 

His playoff efficiency takes a dip because of this. It is a fact that officiating is more lenient and willing to allow more physical play in the playoffs in comparison to the regular season. If you are initiating contact to get fouls, you do have to assume the risk of not getting that call. So yes, I am unequivocally disagreeing with Steve Javie's comments on ESPN's After the Buzzer.  And no, I do not agree with Harden's sense of entitlement to get every tick-tack call. 

In the playoffs, Harden shot 27% from three in 2017, 29% in 2018 and is shooting at a 32% clip this year which is not good for a player that shoots at the volume he shoots it at. 

Harden is undeniably a phenomenal player that will finish his career as the third or fourth best shooting guard of all time if he is not already there, but I personally would like to see a greater emphasis on a mid range game and less reliance on the "3 or layup" mindset. That distinction is what makes players like KD or Kyrie Irving so lethal offensively, they can kill you at all three levels. 

I feel that the refs did have an off day and though they will make sure to make more of these calls in game two, I do fear over correction and I would like the refs to not overreact to these comments.