ESPN analyst compares James Harden to serial dater who won’t get married, unlike Steph Curry after Game 7 flop 

Over the weekend, James Harden and Steph Curry each found themselves staring down a Game 7 in round one. One was able to keep his team's postseason aspirations alive, while the other was sent home. Following another lackluster showing in a do-or-die setting, Harden once again found himself under attack by the national media.

Harden has shined for the LA Clippers all season and is a big reason why they were a playoff team in the first place. However, in the biggest game of the year, he could only muster seven points.

During Monday's episode of First Take, Marcus Spears touched on the stark difference between the two legendary guards when it comes to big games. Curry has a proven history of coming up big when needed, while Harden has fallen short on countless occasions. In light of his Game 7 performance against the Denver Nuggets, Spears pulled out an interesting analogy for the Clippers star.

"James Harden is like the dude who got a girl and he sets up nice scenes and he never proposes," Spears said. "They never gonna get married. He's gonna date you, y'all gonna stay together. People are gonna say y'all a great looking couple but he's never gonna marry you."

Looking ahead to round two, Curry and the Warriors are slated to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves. As for Harden and the Clippers, they now begin their offseason work to try and come back better in 2026.

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Lackluster James Harden postseason stat surfaces after loss vs Nuggets

As Spears mentioned, performances like what we saw on Saturday are far from a rarity for James Harden. No matter the situation, he has a pattern of coming up just short on the big stage.

Following the Clippers' defeat at the hands of the Nuggets, a stat emerged regarding Harden and win-or-go-home matchups. The former MVP has now lost a Game 7 with four different franchises. Those being the Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Houston Rockets.

Prior to Saturday, the last time James Harden played in a Game 7 was in 2023 as a member of the Sixers. He logged 40 minutes against the Boston Celtics and finished with just nine points and seven assists on 3-for-11 shooting.

When it's all said and done, Harden is going to go down as one of the top offensive guards in NBA history. That said, his inability to deliver in big games is going to drastically impact where he falls among the all-time greats.