James Harden's scoring ability has developed to the extreme in his Rockets career. From his unique European step to his extremely accurate step-back three-pointer, he has become one of the strongest scoring weapons in history. However, in the playoffs, winning is the standard that proves the quality of a superstar.
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Harden plays the savior and grabs the winning three-pointer
- Season:2022-23 (R2G4)
- result:Sixers 119-115 Celtics
- data:42 points, 8 assists, 9 rebounds, 3FG 6-9
Harden bid farewell to his poor shooting in the first two games in this game. Although the Sixers were wasted by the Celtics in the fourth quarter with a 15-point advantage, Harden and Joel Embiid teamed up to withstand it. Harden won the remaining points in the overtime. The winning three-pointer with 19 seconds left, and Marcus Smart missed the winning chance, gave the Sixers a surprise victory.
Harden carried the team alone and scored 45 points with a three-pointer at the critical moment.
- Season:2022-23 (R2G1)
- result:Sixers 119-115 Celtics
- data:45 points, 6 assists, 3FG 7-14
Joel Embiid missed the first game of the second round due to a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his right knee after Game 3 of the first-round series. However, with James Harden regaining his former surge, the Sixers teamed up with the Green League led by double stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Celtics played back and forth. In the last 8.1 seconds, the Celtics were still leading by one point. At this time, James Harden jumped out and hit a key three-pointer to help Philadelphia win its first victory.
45 points is also Harden's career high in the playoffs. Now Harden is no longer the main scorer in the past, but Embiid is no longer rare and it is rare to see Harden unlock the scoring mode. This is also the 10th time Harden has scored 40 points in the playoffs, second only to LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
Harden The Stopper!! Fight to the death and get hot pot
- Season:2019-20 (first round of playoffs)
- result:Rockets 104-102 Thunder
- data:17 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks
Facing his former club Thunder and former teammate Chris Paul, James Harden actually did not perform very well. Although he averaged 29.7 points per game, his three-point shooting percentage was only 31.3%, and he had 3.1 turnovers and 4.1 fouls. In the crucial seventh game, Harden struggled even more offensively, making only 1 of 9 three-pointers and making 4 turnovers. Fortunately, his monster-absorbing ability helped teammates such as Eric Gordon, Robert Covington and Jeff Green lead out many outsiders. In the gap, it was hard to beat the Thunder in the first three quarters.
The two sides exchanged leads many times in the fourth quarter. Harden cut in many times and passed the ball to his teammates to score easily, including passing it to P.J. Tucker with one minute left, allowing him to score easily after cutting in. In the last 4.8 seconds, Harden made a key block to block Luguentz Dort, who had made 6 three-pointers in a single game, and even dodged the ball, allowing the Rockets to regain possession of the ball and ultimately ensure the final victory.
I was terrible offensively, but luckily I found a way to impact the game.
James Harden
15 points in the fourth quarter led the Thunder to overcome double-digit deficit and win
- Season:2011-12 (first round G4)
- result:Thunder 103-97 Mavericks
- data:29 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals
In the first round series with the Mavericks, the Thunder, which had won three consecutive games, encountered their opponent's most powerful counterattack in Dallas. However, Harden jumped out and became the winning X-factor in the fourth quarter. The pick-and-roll he executed in that quarter made the defense focus on one thing and another. He scored 15 points in a single quarter (29 points in the entire game, the second-highest score in the Thunder career playoffs) and passed 3 times. With the assist, the team overcame a 13-point deficit and came back to win and eliminate the Mavericks in straight four.
This is the third year of Harden's Thunder career, and it was his explosive performance this year that made the Olympic team make the decision "We can't keep him, so let's trade him."
The first big triple and three-game winning streak in the playoffs to reverse the series
- Season:2014-15 (Second round G5)
- result:Rocket 124-103 Speedboat
- data:26 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals
In the Western Conference semifinals, the Clippers defeated the Rockets with 25 and 33 points in the third and fourth games respectively. However, under the leadership of Harden with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, the Rockets' wing players began to have a chemical effect. Houston won three consecutive games with double-digit points (21, 12, 13), allowing the Rockets to go from strength to strength. A narrow escape from death with 1 win and 3 losses also indirectly provided an opportunity for Chris Paul to leave the Clippers.
A career-high 45 points in the playoffs defeated the Warriors in MVP mode!
- Season:2014-15 (Western Conference Championship G3)
- result:Rockets 128-115 Warriors
- data:45 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 3Pt 7-11
In the Western Conference championship game, the Rockets were defeated by the Warriors in three consecutive games. Facing the danger of being swept out of the playoffs, Harden responded with the highest scoring performance in a single playoff game of his career. Facing the Warriors' counterattack in the second half, he made 10 of 15 shots in the half (5 of 8 three-pointers) and scored a total of 33 points. In the end, the Rockets scored 128 points and won their only victory in the series.
In the third year of his Rockets career, Harden finally broke through the first round and led the team to the Western Conference Championship Game. This was also the prelude to the fierce battle between the Rockets and the Warriors for the third time in four years.
The second 30-point triple breaks into the mythical beast record list
- Season:2018-19 (first round G2)
- result:Rockets 118-98 Jazz
- data:32 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 3Pt 7-13
Harden's MVP-level scoring ability was clearly demonstrated through the opponent's defensive strategy in this series with the Jazz. As soon as the game started, the Jazz placed the player guarding him on the left back, intending to block his retreat and force him to go to the middle to challenge the Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
However, Harden's dominance was not affected at all. In the second game, he even scored 32 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. This is his second 30-point triple performance (three triples in total) since he scored 33-10-10 against the Spurs in the 2017 playoffs. Before him, there were only five players in league history who had more than two 30-point triples in the playoffs: LeBron James (12 times), Oscar Robertson (8 times),Russell Westbrook (6 times), Charles Barkley (2 times) and Wilt Chamberlain (2 times).
Sharingan mode scored 41 points and 38 points in a single game to defend the home court.
- Season:2018-19 (Second round G3, G4)
- result:Rockets 126-121 Warriors, Rockets 126-121 Warriors
- data:41 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists / 38 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists
Although the Rockets pushed the Warriors to the edge of elimination in the last game, Chris Paul's injury forced Houston to lose two games in a row and be eliminated. This season, they advanced to the Western Conference semifinals to face the Warriors. With CP3’s strong singles ability disappearing last year, Harden suffered an accidental eye injury in the second game, but he still showed his “bloody eye” for two consecutive home games. He scored 41 and 38 points to equalize the record.
Harden has always been physically weak at the most critical moments. The Rockets still have a chance in this series after Kevin Durant retired due to injury, and the stage for Harden to prove his superstar value is once again set.
