The Clippers hope James Harden ushers in a new era: “We need him to be special”

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Given everything that had happened with Steve Ballmer's grandiose plan to open the NBA's new crown jewel, an arena, a place the LA Clippers could call their own, with a roster full of stars, the situation was, The end of regular time and extra time was the best he could hope for.

The only healthy star the Clippers have left is James Harden, who has the ball in his hands and a chance to win or tie.

The $2 billion Intuit Dome hosted about 25 concerts and two preseason games. The expensive and impressive bells and whistles were seen and written about on television and in print. But the first NBA game that matters in Ballmer's bold arena made even more noise, brightening the lights on the circular video boards and turning “The Wall” of fans behind the basket near the visitor's bench into an even more visually intimidating one Illusion.

Everything was there except for most of the stars that have made this team a championship contender for years. Paul George? Went to Philly. Russell Westbrook? Denver. Kawhi Leonard? It hurt again.

That leaves Harden as far as the headliners go, and he had a chance to either complete the upset or extend the season opener, the Intuit opener, against the Phoenix Suns. At the end of the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 103, Harden picked off a runner on the left side of the lane as time expired and it hit the rim. And with 4.8 seconds remaining in overtime and the Clippers trailing by two, Harden earned a trip to the foul line. He made the first but missed the second.

With one last gasp left, Harden had the ball knocked away by Grayson Allen just before time expired, sealing the Clippers' 116-113 loss.

“I’m so disappointed we didn’t win,” Harden said. “That's probably one of the most frustrating things I can think about tonight, just the story in Inglewood, at the Intuit Dome. The fans came and showed what they could do, but we just lost out.”

Harden almost got his team over the finish line against the Suns' star trio when he finished with 29 points on 28 shots, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Kevin Durant topped the Suns with 25 points and Bradley Beal added 24; Devin Booker was fouled with 1:27 left in regulation with 15 points in 32 minutes. Durant sent the game into overtime by negating an impossible jump over Harden and a second defender in front of The Wall.

“I absolutely loved the wall they got,” Durant said. “It's crazy. Steve is doing a great job with this franchise.”

Easy money. https://t.co/jlkolrwyE4 pic.twitter.com/e9ZNilAM2v

– Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 24, 2024

In a long season – and remember, NBA campaigns are an eternity; These games will still be happening in six months, and that's before two more months of playoffs – the ball occasionally bouncing in the opposite direction. The Clippers led by 10 points in the fourth quarter and committed a whopping 22 turnovers (the Suns had 21), and Harden had eight of those giveaways. Reduce those, and Harden wouldn't have had to make up one of those plays at the end of regulation time or in overtime.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue summed up Harden's near misses this way: “This is a shot he shot When you had the cameras pointed at him, he shot like 40 times and just practiced the shot over and over again to try to get it right. I just couldn't do it.

“That’s all we can ask; You’re not going to make every shot.”

One game doesn't make a season, as they say, but there's a bigger conversation to be had about the 35-year-old Harden because it's the opposite of what's been talked about around him in recent years.

Whether Harden went to the Brooklyn Nets with Durant and Kyrie Irving, to the 76ers with Joel Embiid, or to the Clippers last year with George, Leonard and Westbrook, the question Harden was always asked (by the press and his coaches) was whether he would defer and distribute to the other stars around him. That was a good question because before embarking on this nomad's journey to both coasts, Harden was a three-time NBA scoring champion, averaging at least 20 shots in three straight years.

Harden answered “yes” to the question by taking fewer shots and trying to adjust to his teammates who scored the most points. The 16.6 points he averaged for the Clippers last season were the fewest he has scored per game since 2012.

Leonard's knee inflammation will keep him out indefinitely, probably for a long time, and otherwise the Clippers' roster is a collection of role players.

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There is not only the possibility, but perhaps the necessity, for Harden to return to Houston Harden – which is exactly what it appeared to be on Wednesday. Not only did Harden shoot one fewer shots (28) than the Clippers' next two highest shooters against the Suns (Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac combined for 29 shots), but he also shot 40 minutes – which Lue said was too much. On the other hand, Lue said, after overtime there was really no choice but to continue betting on Harden.

“We need him to be special until Kawhi gets back,” Lue said.

As Harden mentioned on Wednesday, since the Clippers gathered for training camp, he has been asked before about returning to the mass shootings of his past because of the roster situation.

But real games make everything shine, from fancy new scoreboards in shiny new arenas to the serious problems facing a team.

“Victimhood a few years ago was another theme,” Harden said. “For Us with this team, I think it's a little bit of both. It’s about scoring a little bit, playing a little bit and making the guys’ jobs a lot easier.”

(Photo of James Harden passing Phoenix Suns guard Tyus Jones and center Jusuf Nurkic: Ryan Sun / AP)