James Harden Fails Again to Deliver for Houston Rockets

Last night was supposed to be easy for James Harden and the Houston Rockets. They were back at home facing elimination against a San Antonio Spurs team that would be playing without two of their Big 3. Instead, Harden played his worst game of the playoffs and the Rockets were embarrassed on their home court by the Spurs, losing 114-75.

Harden finished the game with just 10 points on 2-11 shooting to go along with seven assists and six turnovers before he fouled out of the game. His performance in a must-win situation was the complete opposite of his play when Houston defeated Oklahoma City and fellow MVP candidate Russell Westbrook. In that series, Harden was a monster and could not be stopped, but against the Spurs last night, he disappeared in his biggest game of the series. In contrast, Westbrook did too much and failed to trust his teammates when his season was on the line against Harden and the Rockets. In the end, the results were the same as Houston and Oklahoma City both failed to advance to the Western Conference finals.

The Spurs and Warriors will begin their Western Conference Finals Sunday afternoon at 1:30pm in Golden State. Game one will be televised by ABC, while ESPN will broadcast the rest of the series. Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard is expected to be ready by Sunday.