James Harden can't be blamed alone for his Houston Rockets' Game 7 loss to the Golden State Warriors. He scored 32 points with Chris Paul on the shelf, but he also set a rather inauspicious NBA playoff record.
In going just 2-for-13 from beyond the arc Monday, he brought his total 3-point misses in the series to 59. That's 11 more than any other player in a single playoff series, according to StatMuse's Justin Kubatko.
| James Harden | Conference finals | First 2 rounds |
|---|---|---|
| 3PM-3PA | 19-78 | 33-96 |
| 3P% | 24.4 | 34.4 |
| FG% | 41.5 | 40.7 |
| PTS | 28.7 | 28.5 |
Harden has been accused of choking in big moments before - like his disappearing act in last season's elimination game against the Spurs, for instance - but the Rockets as a whole caved in the second half Monday. The team missed 27 straight treys beginning in the second quarter, finishing 7-of-44 from deep.
"Even in that fourth quarter, we had a lot of opportunities," Harden told reporters afterward, according to ASAP Sports. "Three opportunities that we were open that just didn't go down."