James Harden did it again.
A guy who is probably a top-50 player in the history of the NBA simply cannot get it done in Game 7s.
On Saturday night against the Nuggets, Harden scored seven points. Yes, seven. He only attempted eight shots, making two.
Harden has now managed to lose a Game 7 with four different teams.
His most recent Game 7 before this one was in 2023, when he put up nine points for the 76ers against the Celtics.
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CBS shared that in Harden's last 13 elimination games, Game 7s or otherwise, Harden has shot 39 percent from the field and his teams have gone 2-11.
This is a player who averages 24.1 points per game in his NBA career. He's a 44 percent shooter from the floor.
He legitimately becomes a much worse player in Game 7s.
Sure, it's not a huge sample size, but there's never quite been anything like this.
Harden scored 28 points in Game 6 just to force a Game 7. He's not impossibly bad in elimination games.
But he can't get the job done in the win-or-go-home scenario.
It's not a mortal knock against Harden, but it's disappointing. He should be better than this.
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