Stephen A. Smith Lashes Out on James Harden For Lack of Playoff Success in Game 7 Against the Denver Nuggets

James Harden has made it to the playoffs in all 16 years of his career. That, in fact, is a remarkable achievement as playoff contention is one of the primary aims for teams during the regular season. However, when it comes to playoffs, Harden's lack of successes has been a matter of concern almost throughout his career.

After the Clippers failed to clinch a Game 7 win against the Denver Nuggets, Stephen A. Smith had some fiery words coming in to criticize Harden's output in the series.

Indeed, James Harden's performance in Game 7 was underwhelming, unlike his usual self. Even Harden's former Rockets teammate Chandler Parsons thinks Harden lacks going ‘rogue’ and dropping 35 or 40 points when need calls for the same.

In the Game 7 against Nuggets, Harden only had seven points in 35 minutes of playtime, which is in fact quite poor as per his standards. However, he raked up five rebounds and 13 assists, which is quite commendable. However, this kind of performance displays Harden's tentativeness to play offense that does not bode well with his star persona.

In the latest episode of the Stephen A. Smith Show, highlighted his concerns regarding James Harden's performance in this postseason. Let's find out what the ESPN analyst had to say about the future Hall of Famer on his podcast.

Stephen A. Smith Lashes Out on James Harden For Game 7 Los Angeles Clippers Loss

James Harden has a 3-4 record in Game 7s and Stephen A. Smith remains unimpressed by that stat. Despite being one of the marquee stars and veteran leaders for the Los Angeles Clippers, Harden failed to capitalize on a Game 7 win which would have guaranteed the Clippers a spot in the Conference Semi-Finals. After the loss at Denver, Harden left the arena without speaking to the media.

The Clippers were outscored by 29 points while Harden was on the floor. As of now, James Harden has lost four of his last five playoff series overall and a combined 1-3 record in his last four Game 7 appearances. Adding on this, SAS said,

Besides highlighting Harden's Game 7 shortcomings, the ESPN analyst had some harsh remarks for the Clippers star. Smith alleges if a player does not show in Game 7s, they have got the ‘James Harden fever.’

Harden's lack of successes in playoffs has been the only thing leaving him apart from his star contemporaries. Though he has achieved all pinnacles of success individually as a player, his lack of success with all of his five teams lays stain on his career. Here we are once again, with James Harden crashing out of yet another playoff series in his career and last reaching a Conference Finals as long back as 2018.