Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) and San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green chase a loose ball during the second half in Game 6 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Thursday, May 11, 2017, in Houston. San Antonio won 114-75. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
HOUSTON — James Harden went up for a 3-pointer, changed his mind and tossed the ball between two teammates.
He drove for a layup before inexplicably throwing the ball into a sea of San Antonio Spurs.
After putting together an MVP-caliber year, the indelible images of Harden and the Houston Rockets will be the lowlights from a 39-point loss in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals to a San Antonio team playing without Kawhi Leonard and starting point guard Tony Parker.
And those images will linger for some time.
Houston Rockets guard James Harden walks the court late in the fourth quarter in Game 6 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, May 11, 2017, in Houston. San Antonio won 114-75. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
Harden, who didn’t even attempt a shot until midway through the second quarter, was 2 of 11 and finished with 10 points to tie a season low as the Rockets were embarrassed on their home court on Thursday night to end their season with a thud.
“I feel so sorry for him because he’s had an unbelievable — he’s had an historic year,” coach Mike D’Antoni said.
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.
Harden wasn’t available on Friday, but took blame for the loss after the game. However, he had no answers as to what went so terribly wrong on Thursday night.
“It’s frustrating definitely,” he said. “Especially the way we were resilient all year long, fought through adversity. We’ve been really good at bouncing back … it hurts. It stings. We’ve just got to figure out a way to get better and we will.”
Harden averaged 29.1 points, 11.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds a game — all career bests — in helping Houston to a 55-27 record and the third best record in the NBA a year after the Rockets squeaked into the playoffs as eighth seed. He had 22 triple-doubles in the regular season and became the first player in NBA history to have 2,000 points (2,356), 900 assists (907) and 600 rebounds (659) in a single season.
He displayed flashes of brilliance in the playoffs to be sure, but couldn’t deliver when the Rockets needed it most. Houston had a chance to tie Game 5 as overtime expired, but Harden’s shot was blocked from behind by Manu Ginobili.
The Spurs carried that momentum into Game 6 in Houston, and Harden didn’t respond. He was out of sorts from the start and the Rockets were all but out of the game by halftime.
Despite the uninspiring performance, general manager Daryl Morey said that Harden’s struggles on Thursday night shouldn’t negate what he accomplished this season.
“Obviously he had a tough game, but to me it’s a joke to get on him because we’re not where we are … without James,” Morey said. “The guy that’s hardest on James is James. Everyone’s disappointed, but he’s No. 1.”
A day after the game D’Antoni still didn’t have a clear explanation for the collapse. He still seemed stunned by what transpired and used the word “shell-shocked” three separate times on Friday. D’Antoni, who helped Houston to a 14-game improvement in his first season, believes the Rockets might have been worn down by dealing with a team that lacks a clear weakness to exploit.
“I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s almost like mentally it just zapped us,” he said. “I think over the long haul when we didn’t win Game 5 we came back and we were just mentally at zero.”