Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden believes he hasn't profited from the free throw line as he has in the past few years, and harden has only made four free throw lines in today's Nets' 125-136 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
When Harden was asked after the game why he felt he didn't get the same penalty as before, Harden said he didn't know the answer either, "It's a good question, I don't know, I don't want to talk about it, it's frustrating." Harden said his performance had little to do with the Timberwolves' defense of his breakthrough, but played a little negatively. Harden scored 13 points and 13 assists in this game, and in the fourth quarter, Harden not only did not score, but even shot 0.
Nets coach Steve Nash echoed Harden's point of view, saying, "Some games he gets fair treatment, but in other games he's targeted and targeted. Naturally he became the focus, the team had a tough start to the season and now things have become a little more balanced under the referee's enforcement. ”
The change in penalty rules this season has affected offensive players trying to get more free throws, and both Harden and Atalanta Hawks guard Trae Young believe they are more affected than most players because they rely on free throws to score. In fact, Harden has averaged 8.1 free throws per game this season, compared to just 7.3 last season. What Harden complains about is that he has rushed to the basket many times this season without getting a whistle like the one he did earlier in his career.
Harden said he wanted an explanation from the referee all season, "Honestly, like the referee said he didn't see a foul, or think it wasn't a foul. I don't want to talk about this, I have to keep trying, and that doesn't stop me from continuing to rush to the basket, to stay aggressive, to keep creating opportunities for my team. ”
Nash said, "The start to this year was tough and the referees did try to correct the point, but I think they overcorrected. Speaking of the referee's blow-off scale, Nash believes there is ample evidence that Harden was used as a model.
Despite not getting enough free throws, Harden also thought he was too negative on 4-of-13 shooting, "We had a lot of chances, but I think it was my problem, not constantly attacking the basket. Today did not go as hoped, need to regroup to prepare for the home game. ”
Harden is frustrated, but Nets teammate Kyrie Irving believes Harden can adapt to the way he plays this season, "I think the team has made adjustments, the referee is also, Harden is very aggressive in the box, and we hope he can continue to do that." 」 We all know Harden, so he's going to keep being himself. We just want to get a consistent whistle, and when Harden hits the basket, it creates some confrontation, but we feel that Harden deserves respect, we just want fair whistle-blowing treatment, and Harden's words should be respected. ”