In the wake of James Harden’s struggles in big games, Charles Barkley ripped on his teammate for “fading away.”
Charles Barkley, a retired basketball player and current TNT analyst, has blasted James Harden for “fading in big games.”. Read more in detail here: who does james harden play for.
There’s a reason James Harden hasn’t won a championship despite his outstanding play during his NBA career: he falters in important games.
Fortunately for him, his Philadelphia 76ers’ rout of the Brooklyn Nets on March 10 wasn’t a playoff game. Given that Harden played for the Nets until recently and Ben Simmons for the Sixers, the game still had a playoff feel to it. As a result, The Beard’s lackluster performance might just be a premonition of what’s to come.
Harden, on the other hand, could not get away with his vanishing act thanks to Charles Barkley. Chuck’s reaction to the 10-time All-game Star’s against his former squad was brutally honest.
Against the Nets, James Harden had a terrible game.
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For James Harden and the 76ers, it had been all rainbows and sunshine. Harden averaged 24.6 points, 12.4 assists, and 7.2 rebounds in his first five games with the 76ers. He also made 53.1 percent of his field goals and 44.8 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Each game in which he appeared, the Sixers won.
Their game against the Nets, on the other hand, was a different story.
On 3-of-17 shooting, the three-time NBA scoring leader scored only 11 points. The Sixers were defeated by a massive 29-point margin.
Given the hostility that the Harden-Ben Simmons deal sparked, Harden did himself no favors with that sort of performance, particularly against a club that has become Philly’s natural adversary. As a result, 76ers great Charles Barkley had a critical reaction to the guard’s performance.
James Harden was chastised by Charles Barkley for ‘fading in important games.’
(L-R) Charles Barkley and James Harden. | American Express/Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images; Elsa/Getty Images
The matchup between the Nets and the 76ers was a slugfest from the start. At halftime, Brooklyn led 72-51, and James Harden had already wreaked havoc, scoring 11 points on 3-of-15 shooting.
So, even before the game, Barkley was being chastised.
“He has a reputation for fading in important games, and he has done nothing today to help us forget that,” Barkley observed on an edition of Inside the NBA after halftime. “… James has simply been dreadful.”
After that, Barkley spoke about how clubs don’t spend a lot of money on their superstars in order to defeat inferior or average teams. Those individuals must defeat the greatest of the best.
He said, “We don’t pay stars to defeat Minnesota and the Knicks.”
Barkley didn’t let up after the 76ers’ 129-100 loss to the Lakers.
According to NBA on TNT’s YouTube channel, “He’s struggled in all major games.” “If you go back, even when [he] was in Houston, they were up until Chris Paul went ill, when they should have beaten the Golden State Warriors.” And Chris was the team’s leader…. James is a fantastic, if not outstanding, player. When the lights are brightest, though, he has performed poorly. You don’t have to be a great player to be a great player. You’re not going to be able to foul up the joint.”
Barkley seems to make some excellent points, but how accurate are they? Has Harden really faded away in key games?
Time and time again, the Beard vanishes.
This wasn’t the first time this season that James Harden has blown a major game. The 2017-18 NBA MVP scored 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting for the Nets against the Miami Heat in October, but just 14 points on 5-of-21 shooting against the Chicago Bulls in December. Harden scored 12 points and converted four of his 15 attempts in a game against the defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns.
But it’s in the playoffs that he’s been the most disappointing.
Here’s a rundown of some of his less-than-stellar performances.
- 2012: 8.5 points per game on 20.0 percent shooting in the NBA Finals (lost in five games)
- 2015: 14 points on 18.2 percent shooting in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals (trailing 3-1)
- 2017: Trailing 3-2 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals: On 18.2 percent shooting, he scored 10 points.
- 2018: Western Conference Finals, Games 6 and 7 (lead 3-2 before losing 4-3): 32.0 points per game on 41.5 percent shooting; 24.0 percent from three-quarters; 14 turnovers
James Harden is regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time. He understands how to put the ball in the basket and does it consistently. In fact, no one in history has ever made more free throws or three-pointers than The Beard.
When the lights are brightest, though, he shrinks, as Barkley said. It’s up to him to start proving his point.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
RELATED: Charles Barkley Just Told Ben Simmons the Truth: ‘Those Fans Are There for Hatred’
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