James Harden’s lackluster effort in Sport 7 attracts ire and satire from followers

James Harden delivered one other underwhelming playoff exhibiting because the LA Clippers exited the postseason within the first spherical, falling 120-101 to the Denver Nuggets in Sport 7 on Saturday. The previous MVP, lengthy criticized for falling quick within the playoffs, as soon as once more gave followers a glimpse of that acquainted model within the sport.

Harden posted simply seven factors on 2-for-8 capturing throughout 35 minutes and registered a minus-29 ranking. Whereas he dished out 13 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds, his general affect fell wanting what’s anticipated in a win-or-go-home matchup.

Followers flooded social media with jokes about Harden, together with a jab referencing the viral debate about one gorilla versus 100 males.

“The gorilla wins for certain if one of many 100 dudes is James Harden,” one stated.

“Cannot imagine I fell for playoff James harden once more. Thought clippers had this collection,” one other commented.

“CLASSIC HARDEN 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥,” one other fan stated, posting stats of Harden in Sport 7s.

Following the defeat, Harden now holds a 3-4 document in Sport 7s. Throughout these seven contests, he has averaged 19.2 factors and seven.9 assists whereas capturing simply 35.5% general and 23.2% from deep.

He has had some standout moments in elimination video games, particularly with the Rockets, but additionally a number of low factors — like in 2023 with the Sixers, when he scored simply 9 factors, and now this loss to Denver, which made him the primary participant to drop a Sport 7 with 4 totally different franchises.

“If there’s a Corridor of Fame for developing quick when it issues most? They already hangin’ the beard in bronze,” one stated.

“Don’t you ever point out James Harden in the identical dialog with DWade ever once more in your life,” one other stated.

“James Harden is essentially the most constant participant we’ve seen,” one other quipped.

James Harden, Kawhi Leonard-led Clippers crash out of playoffs

The LA Clippers held a slim five-point edge after the opening quarter, 26-21, however the Denver Nuggets caught hearth, dominating the second and third frames by 16 factors every to bury the Clippers in a deficit they couldn’t recuperate from.

Nikola Jokic flirted with a triple-double, ending with 16 factors, 10 rebounds and eight assists, whereas Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun chipped in 22 and 21 factors, respectively.

Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook every added 16, whereas Michael Porter Jr. contributed 15 to the trouble.

For the Clippers, solely Kawhi Leonard cracked the 20-point barrier with 22, as Ivica Zubac added a double-double of 10 factors and 14 rebounds.

The Nuggets received’t get a lot time to relaxation, with Sport 1 of their second-round matchup in opposition to the top-seeded OKC Thunder tipping off Monday.

As for the Clippers, they head into yet one more offseason stuffed with uncertainty and looming questions concerning the future with their star duo.

In regards to the writer

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John Ezekiel Hirro is an skilled NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over 5 years within the subject as a information correspondent, sports activities author, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports activities writing profession started in highschool, the place he garnered quite a few accolades, together with being named the nationwide sports activities writing champion in 2016.

He earned his journalism diploma from the College of Santo Tomas within the Philippines in 2024 and served because the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the college’s official pupil publication, for 4 years—the longest in historical past.

A passionate basketball fanatic, he grew to become a fan of the OKC Thunder through the Russ-KD-Harden period. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favourite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant’s departure. His present favourite gamers embrace Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the way forward for the OKC franchise.

He excels in sport evaluation and fast information story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic kinds of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough analysis to make sure accuracy in his articles. One in every of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson’s document together with his forty second triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outdoors of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.

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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro