Kristian Winfield: James Harden’s shot a no-show as Bulls beat Nets, 111-107
NEW YORK — Will the real James Harden please stand up?
The Beard parading around Barclays Center in a Nets jersey this season has been nothing more than a doppelganger, and while the Nets have retained one of the NBA’s best records through the quarter mark of the season, their 111-107 loss to the Chicago Bulls shows just how much they need the real Harden, not an impostor, if they hope to win it all this year.
Harden shot just 5 of 21 from the field for 14 points to go with 14 assists on Saturday. It was the second game of a back-to-back, against another offensive juggernaut in a Bulls team led by Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, but the Bulls are a team the Nets are supposed to beat — at least that’s with a locked-and-loaded Harden on the floor.
Yet it’s been more of the same from the former league Most Valuable Player who is averaging 21 points per game, his lowest mark since his career-altering trade from Oklahoma City to Houston. His offensive explosions are too few and far between, explosions the Nets need regularly if they plan to be the last team standing.
The lack of an explosive scorer was the difference on Saturday night. LaVine scored 31 points and DeRozan hung 29 in tough, mid-range fashion. Chicago’s two shot-makers rose to the occasion, as did Kevin Durant, as is the norm, who finished with 28 points on 12-of-26 shooting from the field.
Without Harden’s offensive firepower, the Nets were a step behind. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 20 points, Patty Mills scored 12 and Paul Millsap added 13 off the bench, but against another championship contender, Harden’s inability to create offense for himself left the Nets in Chicago’s dust.
Which naturally brings us back to Kyrie Irving, whose absence hangs over Barclays Center like a dark cloud. Irving’s absence is nearly undetectable against the middle-of-the-pack teams, but against the teams contending for end-of-the-season Larry O’Brien NBA Finals trophy, his ineligibility is glaring.
The Nets are now 0-6 against these contenders, including an earlier loss to the Bulls and losses to the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks. It’s hard to call the Nets contenders if they haven’t actually beaten any.
The Nets have also yet to win both games of a back-to-back this season, games Durant and Harden have insisted on playing as opposed to resting as a load management precaution. It would be a much easier sell for the Nets to play their stars in both games of such back-to-backs if they had a track record of delivering victories in both games.
It would also be much easier to sell the Nets as legitimate championship contenders, if not favorites, if Houston Harden was on the roster. Durant said he believes the Nets can win games no matter what approach Harden takes to a game, but the aggressive rendition of Harden — the unguardable scorer and difficult shot-maker — is the player who gives the Nets the best chance to win on a nightly basis.
Harden entered Saturday night shooting just 41% from the floor, on pace for his second-least efficient season since his rookie year. His shooting percentages took a tumble after missing 16 shots against the Bulls.
The Nets now prepare for a four-game road trip with stops in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Detroit. Maybe a trip down memory lane will rejuvenate the all-world scorer and remind him who he once was.
Because the player in a Nets jersey, at least a quarter of the way through the season, isn’t the same player who dominated for nearly a decade in H-Town. And if the Nets don’t have that player alongside Durant, they will be in trouble in the playoffs.
