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James Harden looks to have bounced back after a couple of quiet games and is dominating and his uptick in form may have something to do with him hitting more free throws. Harden declined to comment on the officiating after the Brooklyn Nets' win over the Orlando Magic. This seems to be a smart move from The Beard after finally getting calls going his way.
Harden has had an extremely slow start to the 2021-22 season compared to his high standards. There was speculation surrounding James Harden's drop in form, with most analysts and fans talking about the new rule changes and the lack of calls going his way as a key reason.
Harden usually depends on his ability to draw fouls, to gain a shooting rhythm before going ballistic and hitting three's at a mind numbing rate. Not being able to get those calls seemed to have an effect on his game, with him putting up lower numbers. But in the past couple of games he's gone to the free throw line more and looks more like himself.
According to the New York Post's Brian Lewis, James Harden refused to comment about officiating in his post-game interview, while adding that he was just trying to attack the basket more. Here's what he said:
"I don’t want to talk about officiating. I’m just trying to attack the basket."
The Brooklyn Nets will hope James Harden continues to be aggressive to lessen the offensive load on Kevin Durant, with Kyrie Irving most likely sidelined for a long time.
Can James Harden lead the Brooklyn Nets to an NBA championship without Kyrie Irving?
James Harden's move to the Brooklyn Nets shook the NBA landscape and declared the Nets the unequivocal favorites to win the championship, according to analysts, fans and legends. However, 17 games into the season, things look to be trending in a different direction.
Kyrie Irving is yet to suit up for the Brooklyn Nets and will most likely stay sidelined for the rest of the season unless there is a drastic change in his mindset. This puts the onus on Kevin Durant to show up and he surely has. KD's playing at an MVP level at the moment and has sometimes kept Brooklyn in the game single-handedly due to Harden's early season struggles.
The Nets have a loaded roster that is capable of beating the best without Kyrie, but in a stacked Eastern Conference, things aren't guaranteed. James Harden will have to play at an elite level while being a more aggressive scorer and turn the clock back to his Houston Rockets days for the Brooklyn Nets to have a chance.
As of the moment, the Brooklyn Nets do not look like they will be the ones to come out of the Eastern Conference unless both James Harden and KD go off in the post-season.
Guess the Lakers players!
