In the aftermath of the Rockets 39-point game six loss the night before, the man that brought James Harden to Houston was his biggest defender following the criticism that's been lobbed in his direction since the game ended. San Antonio won the series, four games to two, and totally shut down Harden over the final six quarters. "Literally comatose. I don't know who the hell that was playing for the Houston Rockets, but it wasn't the James Harden that I've been watching all year". In Game 6 of their Western Conference Semifinal matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, the Rockets were on the ropes down 3-2 in the series, but laid a massive bearded egg. And not too long after that, Harden went to a Houston-area club to blow off some steam. That's why San Antonio is headed to the Western Conference finals, and Houston is headed home.
Harden had just 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting and committed six turnovers during the second half of Game 5.
And those images will linger for some time. The 75 points Houston scored on Thursday night was a season low and the fewest points the franchise had scored in a playoff game since managing just 70 against the Los Angeles Lakers on May 17, 2009. And the Rockets - in particular, Harden and Coach Mike D'Antoni - exit the postseason with plenty of questions to answer after an utter capitulation in front of their home fans.
Most people outside the organization aren't feeling sorry for the point guard, and were left scratching their heads at how such an elite player could perform so poorly in a game that mattered so much.
The betting line of Game 1 of the series, which takes place Sunday in Golden State, opened with the Warriors as a 10.5-point favorite.
"It's frustrating definitely", he said. We've been really good at bouncing back.it hurts. "The offense will get better", D'Antoni said.
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He also managed to feature himself by recreating some scenes from Hollywood blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road. Auto ads are, generally speaking, quite boring and derivative.
During the season, Harden became the first player in National Basketball Association history to both score and assist on 2,000 of his team's points.
He displayed flashes of brilliance in the playoffs to be sure, but couldn't deliver when the Rockets needed it most.
Despite Leonard's absence, the Spurs were able to escape Game 5 with a 110-107 victory thanks to the heroics of Manu Ginobili, who blocked James Harden's three at the buzzer to secure the win.
That will be a task for Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey, who did a brilliant job last summer in hiring D'Antoni and then building a team that fit his vision - including a pair of questionable signings in Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson that proved to be ideal fits.
"Obviously, you see (he) had a tough game", Morey said.
"The guy who is hardest on James is James", Morey said.
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