re: Prime AI vs Harden?

AI has one MVP and 1 other top 5 mvp vote

Harden had finished in the top 2 ever year since 2016

Kareem is a hall of famer even if he never plays with magic

Wade is a hall of famer even if he never plays with lebron.

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Kareem yes. Wade???? Not so much. The problem you have is you are soooooooo invested in Harden that you won’t see the whole picture.....IMO Boston does not win titles in the 80’s without Bird and the Lakers don’t come close without Magic. And the Bulls????? Forget it.AI took a team with WAY less talent to the finals compared to the talent Harden has had around him.... reason????? Winners make players around them winners. Harden doesn’t have that in him.



All you are is full of excuses......

You just showed how little you know about the sport.

I'd actually love for Bill Simmons to do a Dr. Jack comparison of these two because they're probably correctly ranked right near each other in the all-time list, would be fascinating

As PTE said, much of AI's mystique and legend derives from the killer instinct foxhole mode edge with which he played during his prime and the explosive aggressiveness with which he attacked the basket night in and night out. Outside of Russ, Kobe, maybe Kawhi, many of today's players don't share those traits, probably due to overexposure per social media, basically prohibition of trash talk and fights, lack of true rivalries with all the player movement, and the AAU/summer camp culture that influenced this generation's players. So many apocryphal AI stories, so many perspectives and accounts confirm AI's killer approach to basketball, so many great AI war stories. It's beyond common knowledge now. That's what separates people like him, Kobe, MJ, etc apart from people today. The dude would rather die than lose a high-stakes basketball game and his style of play reflected that, he's simply a guy you'd want in your foxhole.

I don't think many observers get that vibe from Harden, he's more a George Gervin player in that games don't mean life or death to him and that was truly exemplified in his inexcusable no-show in 2017 Game 6 against the Kawhi-less Spurs, there's just too much he leaves on the table that prevents him from reaching that next level all-time and exceeding AI. I mean stats are great and all for the argument but would you rather want Wilt or Russell if you want to win a game, which is the point of basketball ultimately? I thought so.

Bill has harden higher.

Iverson 37 per b-ball ref. And Simmons did a pod earlier in which he laughably put harden at 32.

Even with bill underrating harden he still had him ahead of Iverson.

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AI would eat up Harden off the bounce, but in the team setting, Harden is a better shooter and higher efficiency.

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AI's and Harden's career FG% is basically the same.

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AI's and Harden's career FG% is basically the same.

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That's because Harden shoots a lot more 3's. He's played 11 seasons vs AI's 17 and shot twice as many threes.

That's why stats like TS% exist. AI is .518 and Harden is .610.

I can't believe I'm defending James Harden.

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I can't believe I'm defending James Harden.

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James' definitely a hard guy to defend on message forums due his constant playoff no-shows and inability to play defense early in his career/prime, I'll give him this though dude is insanely prolific and, to his credit, it translates to wins compared to what Russell Westbrook achieved with OKC

I agree, SoulBrotha, James gets that ring and Finals MVP and maybe some all-defense selections, he DEF ascends to top 20 status, after or with Nash the greatest player to run the 7 Seconds or Less offense