Who's the tougher cover for Kawhi, Curry or Harden?

[Old School 44]

With the games against Houston coming up and the recent game with GS, just wondering who you guys think the tougher cover is for Kawhi, Curry or Harden?

Not factoring in their teams, I think Harden is the tougher cover. Only because he hunts for fouls more than any other player, and seems to get more calls than Curry.

[01Snake]

I think Harden is the tougher cover. Only because he hunts for fouls more than any other player, and seems to get more calls than Curry.

[Fireball]

We have witnessed several times that Kawhi (and Danny) are able to limit Curry ... but the verdict about the Beard is still open. I hope the b2b games this week give us a hint, but I guess we need a playoff series to find out if Harden can be stopped ...

[urunobili]

Harden always gets what he wants (from an officiating perspective at least) against the Spurs... so Harden

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Harden by a mile.

[100%duncan]

Shall see in the playoffs.

[nowitzkikopf]

harden- steph isn't as physical (his greatest strength and weakness).

[Old School 44]

Kawhi was a beast on Sunday against GS, but even before that game, I always thought Harden was the tougher player to guard. With his penchant for drawing fouls, during the course of the game, you might give him a little more room to operate because of it. Also, for whatever reason, Harden seems to play with a bigger "chip" on his shoulder...maybe it's those years as a rival in OkC, and now Houston. Even though the Spurs have played GS in the playoffs, and are probably the chief rival to the Spurs this year, I just don't have the "dislike" for them like I have for the Rockets!

[cd98]

Harden is tough as a lefty, great three point shooter, and a great ability to draw fouls and convert at the line. He's a great player. I would not expect to see Kawhi on him early. With Harden's ability to draw fouls, I'd bet Kawhi plays situational defense throughout the game, but doesn't have the official shutdown assignment until the 4th quarter, assuming the game is close.

[Brazil]

Harden because of foul trouble but in Harden's case, Green can switch on him. For Curry, Parker, Kawhi and Green can cover

[hater]

Elian Gonzales plays team ball so he needs the support of his teamates.

Hardon is a one man wrecking ball and his Manu like flopping gives him the edge over our defenders.

[spurraider21]

Harden because of foul trouble but in Harden's case, Green can switch on him. For Curry, Parker, Kawhi and Green can cover
:lol

[hyhy]

Curry is a point guard, he only isolates in the 3rd quarter. Harden can isolate for the whole 48mins.

[tmtcsc]

The bearded fag (no offense to our homosexual friends in here) in Houston. Also deserves the MVP this year too, imo. Rockets have no business contending for the 2nd seed and without him wouldn't be sniffing the playoffs.

[Brazil]

:lol

?

Parker defends him for stretches... not even saying he is doing that well but he does it which is different from Harden... only Green and Kawhi defends him most of the time

:rolleyes

[unleashbaynes]

Harden got shut down by Wesley Matthews last year when the refs weren't giving him his bullshit fouls anymore.

[Leetonidas]

Harden flops a lot and his game is based on drawing fouls. His beard probably also smells like sweaty balls. So probably him

[z0sa]

Harden, in my mind. one of our advanced statkeepers might correct me, but Curry strikes me as much more of a straight up shooter while Harden has an overall package and can get to the basket more. He's also left handed.

[will_spurs]

Right now Harden's FTA / FGA = 56% and roughly 32% of his points come from free throws.

Taking a look at another player who lives at the free throw line, those percentages were 48% and 27% for Durant during his MVP season. Even in his crazy years at the end of the 80s, Michael Jordan only reached 44% and 27% respectively.

The rate at which Harden is racking FTs is just crazy for a guard and is usually reserved to bigs like Shaq or Dwight who are prime targets for hack-a-thons.

[313]

Right now Harden's FTA / FGA = 56% and roughly 32% of his points come from free throws.

Taking a look at another player who lives at the free throw line, those percentages were 48% and 27% for Durant during his MVP season. Even in his crazy years at the end of the 80s, Michael Jordan only reached 44% and 27% respectively.

The rate at which Harden is racking FTs is just crazy for a guard and is usually reserved to bigs like Shaq or Dwight who are prime targets for hack-a-thons.
That;s ridiculous.

I always hear that stat on TV about the Spurs being the least fouling team in the NBA but when we play the thunderefs and James Harden it never feels like it..

[KaiRMD1]

Beard relies on fouls, Beard is the tougher cover

[Embedded]

LOL @ leetonidas!!! I always have to scroll and 'read' your entire post

[le13]

Difficult to say... But I will give the edge to Harden, like another poster is saying, he got the full package, which is not completely the case about Curry.

But if Kwany was able to guard Lebron last year, I do not think that curry or harden will be a problem for him

[tmtcsc]

Difficult to say... But I will give the edge to Harden, like another poster is saying, he got the full package, which is not completely the case about Curry.

But if Kwany was able to guard Lebron last year, I do not think that curry or harden will be a problem for him

? Harden is a much more prolific scorer than Lebron. Lebron doesnt maximize his skillset or his size as a scorer.

[le13]

? Harden is a much more proficient scorer than Lebron. Lebron doesnt maximize his skillset or his size as a scorer.


So for you, you put Harden before LeBron? I do not think that they are even close... They are not boxing in the same category. But I might be wrong and I do,respect your opinion

[spurraider21]

Shved

[tmtcsc]

So for you, you put Harden before LeBron? I do not think that they are even close... They are not boxing in the same category. But I might be wrong and I do,respect your opinion

Absolutely. We're not talking about who the better player is, we're talking about who is the harder cover. Harden is a relentless scorer who will drive to the basket or shoot the 3. You can give Lebron some space on the perimeter - but not Harden. Give him some space and that 3 is going up and most likely in. He's a physical player too.

Don't get me wrong, I can't stand the guy or his game but he's made himself in to one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league. I think he gets way too much respect from the refs too. I can't stand that dude.

[Old School 44]

Absolutely. We're not talking about who the better player is, we're talking about who is the harder cover. Harden is a relentless scorer who will drive to the basket or shoot the 3. You can give Lebron some space on the perimeter - but not Harden. Give him some space and that 3 is going up and most likely in. He's a physical player too.

Don't get me wrong, I can't stand the guy or his game but he's made himself in to one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league. I think he gets way too much respect from the refs too. I can't stand that dude.
Me neither. No doubt he's a very talented player, I just don't like his style of play and his attitude on the court. I understand the idea of drawing the foul when you take a shot, but to actively look for fouls like he does and then to get away with it....smh. Nobody does it as often or as blatantly as he does.

[cd98]

?

Parker defends him for stretches... not even saying he is doing that well but he does it which is different from Harden... only Green and Kawhi defends him most of the time

:rolleyes

People overact on the "Parker is a bad defender..." What they don't get is that every point guard in the NBA is a bad defender. That's partially because every starting point guard in the NBA, or at least most, are pretty darn good scorers, and second, the rules favor the offensive player, so a defender is limited on what he can do. Parker has the speed and the ability to get a hand up on Curry. That's probably not enough to stop him, but it allows Parker to guard him in stretches where Curry isn't on fire. When Curry is on fire, the Spurs have to put someone with length to guard him. Harden is too big and too strong for any point guard to guard him. Only 2s and really mobile 3s can guard him and only with marginal success. He's just a great scorer.

[rjv]

harden, just because he's a bitch and has perfected the art of drawing the foul. his strategy will be to try to get leonard in foul trouble.

[Cry Havoc]

For me, one thing that I've noticed that differentiates Harden from a lot of other players is that Houston predicates it's offense on getting Harden the ball.

Note that I said getting him the ball. Which is completely different than running an offense through Harden after he's gotten the ball.

One of the most fantastic abilities that Kawhi has is his ball denial. He's a monster at getting to his man, cutting any kind of passing lane out, and limiting effectiveness. It frustrates a lot of offenses that don't start until their star has the ball in his hands. If they never receive the ball unless they are pushed up against the baseline, or in a crowd of defenders, it severely reduces their effectiveness and the offense starts to congest. We saw this against Golden State -- the instant they got out of position they were looking for outlets to swing the ball around, and Kawhi got several steals from that situation alone.

For Houston, they work TO get Harden the ball. Which means it's a LOT harder for Kawhi to cover him. Anyone who's played basketball knows that if you have to fight to get out on your man, the moment you land and set your D, there's the briefest of instants where you are catching your balance. Harden is fast enough with his first step to take advantage of this. And as good as Kawhi is, he's still a human being and has to account for his own momentum.

Watch the Rockets play and you'll see Harden is already going into his shooting/driving motion by the time the ball is thrown in his direction. This differs a lot from, say, the Thunder, who pass the ball out to the top of the key, the defense sags a little to respect the open lanes, and in doing so gives someone like Westbrook or Durant all the time they need to get picks and read the defense.

Harden is brilliant in keeping defenders off balance by quickly using attack windows that only exist for a brief second. In practice, it looks almost identical to say, Westbrook just blowing by someone, but the physics are quite a bit different, and it's really at this point the only way you're going to beat Kawhi to the rim, he's too long and too quick to just ISO and go against. Someone transcendental like Jordan could have rocked him off his defensive stance, but none of these guys are even near that level of footwork and prowess. As it is, Houston is tough because they use the passes to their stars as weapons themselves, instead of allowing the D to set and overpowering them.

[sexinthatsx]

For me, one thing that I've noticed that differentiates Harden from a lot of other players is that Houston predicates it's offense on getting Harden the ball.

Note that I said getting him the ball. Which is completely different than running an offense through Harden after he's gotten the ball.

One of the most fantastic abilities that Kawhi has is his ball denial. He's a monster at getting to his man, cutting any kind of passing lane out, and limiting effectiveness. It frustrates a lot of offenses that don't start until their star has the ball in his hands. If they never receive the ball unless they are pushed up against the baseline, or in a crowd of defenders, it severely reduces their effectiveness and the offense starts to congest. We saw this against Golden State -- the instant they got out of position they were looking for outlets to swing the ball around, and Kawhi got several steals from that situation alone.

For Houston, they work TO get Harden the ball. Which means it's a LOT harder for Kawhi to cover him. Anyone who's played basketball knows that if you have to fight to get out on your man, the moment you land and set your D, there's the briefest of instants where you are catching your balance. Harden is fast enough with his first step to take advantage of this. And as good as Kawhi is, he's still a human being and has to account for his own momentum.

Watch the Rockets play and you'll see Harden is already going into his shooting/driving motion by the time the ball is thrown in his direction. This differs a lot from, say, the Thunder, who pass the ball out to the top of the key, the defense sags a little to respect the open lanes, and in doing so gives someone like Westbrook or Durant all the time they need to get picks and read the defense.

Harden is brilliant in keeping defenders off balance by quickly using attack windows that only exist for a brief second. In practice, it looks almost identical to say, Westbrook just blowing by someone, but the physics are quite a bit different, and it's really at this point the only way you're going to beat Kawhi to the rim, he's too long and too quick to just ISO and go against. Someone transcendental like Jordan could have rocked him off his defensive stance, but none of these guys are even near that level of footwork and prowess. As it is, Houston is tough because they use the passes to their stars as weapons themselves, instead of allowing the D to set and overpowering them.

Good take sir. A lot harder to steal in a one-on-one situation as opposed to the pass or getting the half court set. Granted, I still see either Danny Green or Kawhi Leonard getting Harden really frustrated if they are able to get some charge calls early in the game or potentially get him into foul trouble.

In terms of tougher cover, it's obviously Harden... if you were a basketball player would you want your defending hands and body in that sweaty jungle beard of his? I sure as hell wouldn't.

[Obstructed_View]

I've yet to see anyone contain Harden. He's just too good at drawing contact. He'll throw his body across your leg and get a tripping call out of it.

I'm not even sure of the strategy to defend him. Stop everyone else and let him go off is probably the best way to do it. Stay at home and don't let his teammates get easy baskets.

[TampaDude]

I've yet to see anyone contain Harden. He's just too good at drawing contact. He'll throw his body across your leg and get a tripping call out of it.

I'm not even sure of the strategy to defend him. Stop everyone else and let him go off is probably the best way to do it. Stay at home and don't let his teammates get easy baskets.

Gonna have to blow Houston out. Can't let the refs decide the game.

[le13]

Absolutely. We're not talking about who the better player is, we're talking about who is the harder cover. Harden is a relentless scorer who will drive to the basket or shoot the 3. You can give Lebron some space on the perimeter - but not Harden. Give him some space and that 3 is going up and most likely in. He's a physical player too.

Don't get me wrong, I can't stand the guy or his game but he's made himself in to one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league. I think he gets way too much respect from the refs too. I can't stand that dude.

You made a point! Agree with your statement, harden is getting too much call from the refs, so from this point of vue yes harden is more difficult to guard that Lebron or Westbrook. I do not know how long it will last but I do not like the arrogance of this guy..

[TheCerebral1]

Doesn't matter, its also about the defensive scheme that the Spurs play. They easily won't have that big of a deal with Harden. You can be a great player and will your team to win in the regular season. In the playoffs against the best of the best, sorry...ousted. The Spurs are tiptoeing towards first in the division. Howard doesn't scare me and their depth is beyond thin. Parker would easily eat them alive now that Patrick Beverley is out.

[GSH]

For me, one thing that I've noticed that differentiates Harden from a lot of other players is that Houston predicates it's offense on getting Harden the ball.

Note that I said getting him the ball. Which is completely different than running an offense through Harden after he's gotten the ball.

One of the most fantastic abilities that Kawhi has is his ball denial. He's a monster at getting to his man, cutting any kind of passing lane out, and limiting effectiveness. It frustrates a lot of offenses that don't start until their star has the ball in his hands. If they never receive the ball unless they are pushed up against the baseline, or in a crowd of defenders, it severely reduces their effectiveness and the offense starts to congest. We saw this against Golden State -- the instant they got out of position they were looking for outlets to swing the ball around, and Kawhi got several steals from that situation alone.

Harden is brilliant in keeping defenders off balance by quickly using attack windows that only exist for a brief second. In practice, it looks almost identical to say, Westbrook just blowing by someone, but the physics are quite a bit different, and it's really at this point the only way you're going to beat Kawhi to the rim, he's too long and too quick to just ISO and go against. Someone transcendental like Jordan could have rocked him off his defensive stance, but none of these guys are even near that level of footwork and prowess. As it is, Houston is tough because they use the passes to their stars as weapons themselves, instead of allowing the D to set and overpowering them.

Excellent take!

There are a few things that the Spurs might do to minimize his impact:

1. Almost half of Harden's non-FT points come in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. He loves to push the ball on any missed shot, and take it to the rack before a defense can set up. So when the Spurs do miss shots, they need to focus on not letting him take the first pass after the rebound. That's where Kawhi's ball-denial skills would be useful. At that point, they won't be setting picks to get Harden the ball, so it's just a straight cover. Make someone else take the first pass, and don't let Harden jam it down their throats.

2. When you do foul him in the paint... shit-hammer him. No and-1's.

3. He rarely shoots between the restricted circle and the 3-P line, and when he does his percentage is MUCH lower. (From 3-10 feet, he shoots .300) It may seem like he has a mid-range game, but he really doesn't use it very often. But he does pick up fouls out in that range. Don't waste any fouls on him, in the mid-range.

[Obstructed_View]

Gonna have to blow Houston out. Can't let the refs decide the game.

Surprising that a close game in Houston came down to a block by Duncan on Harden with no whistle (didn't deserve a whistle IMO, but Harden's good at drawing them). The Spurs' offense was really poor in that game, and they dodged a bullet from an officiating standpoint.

[ironman2886]

Danny should be on Curry most of the time. Parker,Cojo, and Kawhi will get some burn. Kawhi can pretty easily shut down Thompson(warriors are very beatable when he isn't effective.) Kawhi will have an easier time on Harden(iso.) Houston doesn't set too many screens for him. Harden likes to penetrate and draw fouls a lot. Curry goes through so many screens, and Kawhi has a habit of getting caught on the perimeter. The system though, is the key(trapping, switching, funneling the guards towards Duncan.)