The Rockets Advance On The Back Of James Harden's... Defense?
The Bucs Taking All The Washed NFL Players
James Harden conversations usually come down to his incredible abilities with the ball in his hands, then a few jokes about his inability to even try to play defense.
In a win or go home game on Wednesday, Harden’s offense was an all-time debacle; though his defense was more than competent. Heck, it was bordering on decent… supposedly. His defense is also a large reason Houston is advancing to the next round of the NBA Playoffs.
Moreover, who uses “heck” as a transition work?
To be Camp Crystal Lake clear: I have no idea if Harden played excellent defense all game. Him playing above competent defense will surely be one of the narratives moving forward, but it’s not like I was consuming the game in a way that focused on Harden’s approach to man-ball philosophies.
Rather than pretending as if I broke down film in a sick, nearly perverted way, let’s just focus on the play that matters.
With 4.8 seconds left to go, James Harden was guarding seven-foot sky pirate Steven Adams. The Beard and the Sky Pirate were down in the block when Lu Dort caught a pass in the left corner, appearing to be as open as a 24-7 convenient store in the process. Then, out of almost nowhere but let’s not get too hyperbolic, Harden rushed the corner, extending his left hand in the process, blocking the potential go-ahead shot from distance.
"Offensively, I played like s---. Excuse my language," Harden told ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth in an on-court interview immediately after the game. "I couldn't hit a shot. I turned the ball over. Just doing everything that's not supposed to happen, but I just kept sticking with it. My teammates gave me confidence throughout the course of the game, and defensively I had to make a play."
The impact Harden’s block will have on his legacy will likely loom large, as it saved him from people ready to note him a choke artist after the game. If the Rockets lost, especially after Harden shot only 26 percent from the floor and 11 from beyond the arc, all the tropes and cliches and lazy narratives would have been hurled toward his general direction.
Not anymore, friends. Instead, it’s on the other side of the equation. With that one timely block, he’s now “better at defense than you think” and a guy who “is willing to do (insert whatever) to get the job done.”
Hooray!
Chris Paul Is Proud And Hurls Jabs At Refs
We’re back-to-back newsletter topics in on Chris Paul related stuff. This time around, I’ll refrain from the nut-punch jokes.
After the loss that sent the Thunder home, Paul said some otherwise cliche things that rang rather true:
"We fought hard all year. Obviously a lot of people doubted us, but we didn't doubt ourselves. We didn't give a damn about anybody's predictions going into this series. We expected to win."
The entire “no one believed in us” trope is truly played out, even if it is factual. Without draping a blanket over every NBA fan and pundit, speaking only for myself, I did not believe the Thunder to be the type of team that would push one like the Rockets to a seventh game in the NBA Playoffs.
I assumed — first mistake! — OKC would play well enough in the regular season to result in some fun jokes at Chris Paul’s expense when the postseason came around. Unfortunately for everyone, this year has been the strangest in many people’s lifetimes, resulting in an Upside Down effect. It’s Quantum Leap and Scott Bakula on steroids gone wrong.
Paul was mostly stellar in the NBA Playoffs, as were the Thunder. CP3’s excellence, his window of greatness, is unlikely to be open for too much longer, but it’s still nice to be reminded of someone’s greatness while they’re still playing.
All of this being said, Paul couldn’t help himself either, making sure to toss some accountability toward the refs after the game. Never change, Chris Paul. Never change.
The Bucs Ink Leonard Fournette
I don’t know how much juice Tom Brady has left in the tank. Maybe Gronk’s time as a pro wrestler will make him a better football player. Jacksonville cutting Leonard Fournette really could be more about the Jags tanking than just how good Fournette is.
And yet, Tampa Bay is now the home of wayward toys. A place in the United States of NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE where big names mostly on the wrong side of their careers go to finish out their days.
Most of how we’ll view Fournette’s signing and Gronk’s coming out of retirement will actually hinge on just how good TB12’s “alternative” doctor is (hey Alex!). Nonetheless, for those of us who for some ungodly reason still like the Madden franchise, the Bucs are at the very least an interesting team to monitor moving forward.
In a sport where more and more teams are trying to expand their windows, the Bucs appear to be purposely shortening theirs, looking to win as soon as possible at a decent cost.
Speaking of alternative thinking, though…
Then again, if the salary cap doesn’t gets raised as expected over the next few years, putting teams like the Saints 78 million dollars OVER it in two years, this could be the best of both worlds for Tampa. Invest heavily and mightily in guys with a few year window, then move on in a couple of years if the cap stays stagnant.
Nevertheless, this would be a great Madden 20017 trio.
Email of the Week on Thursday
In my time as an Internet Scribbler, I’ve ended up on a lot of weird press release lists. Usually, however, they’re all sports related or at least adjacent.
Even with this not being the case, I’m not even mad. This is good info. Thanks!
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Joseph used to write a bunch of things for places like Forbes, FRS and others. Now he’s ‘the man’ in management. A big old loser. A washed, leathery face, too. Here’s his own newsletter.