It's safe to say he dropped the ball when it counted.
Before the playoffs began, Harden said he wanted to improve himself in the playoffs, an idea that didn't materialize well from a statistical standpoint. It may be because Harden's physical groove is insufficient, the intensity of the playoffs came up, the performance is not as good as the regular season. Another angle is the mentality, in the referee a few fouls do not blow after some anxious, the mind is still not mature enough, fighting spirit and superstar compared to some gap.
The subtle changes in mindset lead to not playing at the regular level. In the next season Harden must learn how to adapt to the referee's call, on the basis of which to adjust the mentality to the game and get the victory. The second round of the playoffs came to a close, with the Rockets, Nuggets, 76ers and Celtics eliminated from the tournament. Two of the games in this tightly contested series went to a nail-biting seven, which was grueling enough. There were disappointing performances by the stars in those games, as both dropped the ball at key moments.
Harden on this list seems to be a little "wrong" him, in the six games, Harden scored: 35, 29, 41, 38, 31, 35 points, except for the second game because of a bruise in the eye low playing time. "only" got 29 points, the rest of the game all 30 +, averaging 34.8 points, the average score is even a little higher than the eastern hardcore Leonard, but the beard in the key moment off the chain. In the fourth quarter of the Battle of Heavenly Kings Mountain, the need for Harden to come forward, he was almost invisible; the 6th battle of life and death, Harden also did not have enough excitement state, we can not see a kill the red-eyed Deng, the rocket is doomed or eliminated life. Harden missed the perfect opportunity to leave a big name in NBA history, if this season can step through the Warriors, Harden's historical status will definitely be different.
Harden free throws can pull back the true shooting percentage. But a lot of times the key time does not give free throws, so Harden must improve his efficiency, do not give free throws also have to throw in. Harden this year's regular season flawless, but the playoffs than the regular season down a notch, need to progress and stability to help the rocket further against the Warriors, if the rocket stayed put to play the Warriors will be very difficult.