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Warriors must make someone other than James Harden beat them

By Nathan Beighle

OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 03: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts to the officiating on the court against the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on January 3, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 03: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts to the officiating on the court against the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on January 3, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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In Game 5, the Golden State Warriors must do a better job of making someone other than superstar guard James Harden beat them.

The Golden State Warriors have been eaten alive by James Harden. He completely dominated them in the first three quarters of Game 4. Then, Kevin Durant took the challenge of guarding the reigning MVP personally.

Harden scored just three points in the last ten minutes of the game, totaling 38 in Game 4. While the trick won’t solely be putting Durant on Harden for all 48, Kerr must draw up a better gameplan at shutting down the league’s scoring champion.

Scoring over 36 points per game during the regular season, Harden does the majority of his work in isolation. He’ll dance on you then lull you in diving through him on a three-point attempt. Harden drew over one three-point shooting foul per game during the regular season.

If he doesn’t settle for his stepback, he’ll likely have the choice to just drive by any defender and collapse the defense. He’d then kick out, one reason he averaged a league-high 11.2 assists per game two years ago.

As for his matchup with Golden State, when Harden scored over 35 points, the Rockets win. When held to or under 35 points, the Warriors escape with the victory. That could be a trend that continues for the entire series.

For Kerr, it’s got to be a worrisome trend as well.

Given the dynamic nature of Harden, blowing up for over 35 seems to be just another night at the office. That said, the easiest way for Kerr to force someone else to beat them is to just throw a double team at him and rotate.

They’ve tried to that sporadically throughout the game, but they haven’t committed to it for numerous possessions in a row. It’s hard to assume that’d work to slow Harden down, but at the very least, it’d force Eric Gordon, who went 2-for-12 from deep in Game 4, to beat them.

Even Chris Paul only scored 13 points in Game 4. Capela has been a non-factor and Tucker will only produce if he’s left wide open. All those pieces fit around Harden perfectly, but they’re not much if you take the reigning MVP out of the equation.

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That said, guarding Harden will be a huge point of emphasis for Game 5.

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