James Harden Takes Blame For Rockets’ Playoff Exit

He added 12 rebounds in his second big game of the Western Conference semifinal series to pick up the scoring slack with Leonard out after rolling his ankle in San Antonio’s overtime victory in Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Even with Leonard, the two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Popovich said stopping the Warriors’ offense is going to be tough. Kawhi Leonard has led from the front with averages of 27.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, LaMarcus Aldridge is averaging 16.8 points with 8.0 rebounds while Patty Mills is averaging 11.2 points and 2.5 assists off the bench.

With this highly-anticipated game just around the corner, experts are starting to give their picks.

“I was trying to be more dominant down there”. At the Warriors store in Oracle fans were picking up free team flags and predicting a relatively easy Golden State series win.

Harden accepted some of the blame for the loss.

“Everything falls on my shoulders”, said Harden. “I take responsibility for it”.

“I think we all made a decision to be aggressive, ” Green said of Leonard’s absence, “regardless of what was going to happen”.

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni, whose decision to move Harden to point guard helped him have the best statistical season of his eight-year career, opted not to directly answer a question about Harden’s Game 6 struggles. Sometimes life hits you in the face. Harden scored just 10 points, fouled out, and looked as bad as anyone has ever seen him.

But then, points per game, Stephen Curry and Tony Parker both led their teams with 22.5.

When things were all said and done, Houston’s season was over in abysmal fashion after losing (114-75) by 39 points. He finished the first quarter without attempting a single shot and shied away from such opportunities all game long.

Everything was clearly not fine as the Rockets failed to make anything close to a run to get back in the contest. “The challenges they present, in some ways, are similar to Houston as far as the ability to shoot the ball from the 3-point line, but they have different personnel overall”. “I was making some passes ad we just didn’t knock down shots or whatever the case may be”. Following the clincher in Houston, as celebrations echoed throughout the Alamo City, the focus shifted to the Warriors for Spurs sharpshooter Danny Green.

Mills was one of six Spurs’ players in double figures, headed by centre Aldridge, the unheralded Jonathon Simmons (18) and Mills. Dekker had six points. Trevor Ariza paced Houston with 20 points, and Clint Capela had 15 points and 12 boards.

Without the likes of Kawhi Leonard, who injured is ankle before Game 6, the Spurs still had too much for the Rockets, which included the likes of MVP-candidate James Harden.

Season series: Spurs won, 2-1.