Harden is good for 2 games in a series at this point; everything beyond that is a mixed bag. Been that way since Brooklyn.
I mentioned this the other day when they lost game 5.
As the series progresses, mentally, he shrinks when the stakes start rising high. Some say it's because of other teams' adjustments on him or fatigue, but I don't think it's that; it's just him.
This has been an ongoing thing with him for nearly a decade in the postseason; every year, when the stakes get high, he shrinks.
I call it “
mental midgetry”.