Inglewood, CA (News4usOnline) – This is the James Harden the Clippers need to survive. Kawhi Leonard is capable of being the motor late, but he is not the engine starter. If Harden is not in his bag again early in Game 7, playoff basketball in Los Angeles will be over this season.
Luckily, Harden was deep in that bag in LA’s 111-105 win over the Nuggets in Game 6, leading the way with 28 points (21 in the first half) and eight assists. His early aggression allows Leonard and Norman Powell to activate as the game progresses, which in turn relieves the pressure on Harden late.
The players are often the ones who hear it from the media and fans when they do not perform well, but Tyronn Lue took the blame pregame for Harden’s 26 combined points in the team’s last two losses.
“Just talking about opening it up for him and allowing him to play one-on-one and get to his spots,” said Lue. “We had great conversations, talking through stuff and bouncing ideas off each other. Being one of the best iso guys we have seen probably in NBA history, we just talked about giving him more space, more isos, and one-on-ones.”
Harden is the guy. He is the one who has a chance to make the All-NBA team this season. He is the one with league MVPs and scoring titles. Leonard and Powell have championship experience, but Harden is the key to the Clippers becoming a championship team, and now he and Lue are aligned in that regard.
“After Game five, he came up to me on the plane and was like ‘I need to get you more involved’. I got the ball in my hands, and it seems like I can just do whatever I want, but we still have an offense to run. Tonight, the game plan was for me to be in attack mode,” said Harden.
The difference between Harden scoring early versus the other members of the team is that he is the only elite distributor. If the others get it going early, that is great, but it does not benefit everyone else in the same way as when Harden scores 20-plus in the first half. When he reaches that threshold in the first couple of quarters, Leonard and Powell will likely get to 20 at some point as well, like they did in Game 6.
“(James) has been here before. Guys have a game where they don’t play well during the season. It’s just another game, so I knew he would be able to come back and be aggressive, trying to get to his spots. His skill showed, and he was able to make shots tonight,” said Leonard.
Ivica Zubac also needs his flowers for the way he has neutralized Nikola Jokic with his play on the defensive end. He held the three-time MVP to only five points in the second half, which allowed LA to build its lead. No one can guard Jokic, but it is hard to argue anyone can do a better job than Zubac has done in this series.
Another coaching adjustment Lue made on Thursday was inserting Nicolas Batum into the starting lineup for the second half. Batum immediately hit a three, and his presence as a catch-and-shoot player opened the floor up even more. It feels like the Clippers have realised they are going to have to try and outscore Denver, rather than trying to stop them.
“Offensively, our aggressiveness was different, which starts with me. Watch some film, get better at the things I can continue to get better at, and do it for one more game,” said Harden.
Jamal Murray is never afraid of the movement in the postseason, and Jokic is clearly the toughest individual to deal with in the league. Game 7 will be an absolute battle at altitude, but the Clippers know what is at stake, and no one should want it more than a franchise and a superstar point guard who have collectively never made it past the Western Conference Finals.
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.