We've reached the most crucial juncture of the LA Clippers' season. After an unbelievable (and highly questionable) game-winning dunk from Aaron Gordon at Intuit Dome on Saturday, the Clippers will head back to the Mile High City to face the Denver Nuggets in a pivotal game five.
What was tabbed as the biggest coin flip first round series of the playoffs has lived up perfectly to that billing. The Clippers and Nuggets have played three games and one blowout in this series, with the Game 3 pummeling of Denver being the most surprising result by far. Headed into Game 4, most everyone thought the Nuggets were done for, and that LA could have this series finished up in five or six games.
But Gordon's last-second put-back of Nikola Jokic's attempted buzzer beater changed everything. Now, the Clippers face what has become a best-two-out-of-three series — and Denver owns home court advantage once again.
It can be easy to forget just how we got here, especially with the rising expectations that were placed on the Clippers before and during this series. But let's remember that based on preseason expectations, LA is playing with house money here. No one expected them to be even close to being in a position where they could win a playoff series this year.
And then that brings us to James Harden — numero uno himself. The Clippers certainly aren't the five seed in the Western Conference this season without the services of the Southern California native and three-time NBA scoring champion. Kawhi Leonard may still be LA's best player, but Harden's consistency all throughout the regular season got this team to where they are.
James Harden has a chance to re-write his playoff narrative
The only problem here is the narrative that's constantly chased Harden all throughout his career: That he can't perform at the highest level when it matters most in the playoffs. And to be fair, he's certainly had his share of flameouts in the postseason.
But the last time I checked, the results from previous playoff rounds or seasons don't count for this current one. And with at least two games left in the Clippers' season, James has a unique opportunity to redeem all the times he's had a letdown in the past.
Not just Clippers fans, but NBA fans of all teams have already taken note of the significance of Harden's achievements this season. Some have said that they've gained more respect for him this season in LA than they did during any of his MVP-finalist years. That says a lot about the kind of work he's put in, and now he has a chance to be the Clippers' difference-maker in Game 5 of this series and beyond.
In the past, James has been notorious for starting out a playoff series strong, but failing to match that same level of output over the course of the following three-to-six games. If he can reverse that trend and consequently be one of the main reasons the Clippers not only finish the job in this series but also make an even deeper run in these playoffs, it would be one of the great accomplishments of his career.
Being the driving force behind a legitimately impressive playoff run for this Clippers team would undoubtedly be the ultimate narrative changer when it comes to how James Harden's career is viewed. He's proven his talent and longevity all season long — now it's time to really make it count.