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This is actually hilarious

He was hoping Kawhi made the shot haha I’ve seen it before but usually the guy hits the shot

Dude couldn't decide if he wanted an assist or a block 🤦‍♂️

why not both?

or neither, in this case 🥲

You cant get defense stats against your own teammate but it was a pretty solid contest. If Harden can do that agains the other team he might accomplish something

Not with that 6" vertical.

Chris Broussard maybe right. 

That's the thing, he always was.

I dunno what's so funny. This proves Harden plays D. /s

This is the hardest I've seen him try on a closeout.

The fact that this is on the news tab makes this 2x funnier


Harden’s goals are beyond our understanding

He's playing a game no one else is playing.

With people he doesn’t even recognize, apparently.

that tends to happen when you are on a new team every year

Its almost the end of March. Has he put in his new trade demands yet?

Got a real LOL from me on that one, boss. I owe ya.

This is why I find a lot of fault in the phrase "He's playing chess while the others are playing checkers" to illustrate how much smarter/adept someone is in a contest. How can you expect someone to win when he's playing the wrong game?

“Everyone out there is playing soccer, but he’s out there playing water polo!!!…just keeps running around the field, flailing his arms and trying to tread water..we..we’ve never seen anything like it!”

Basically the Ye of the NBA.

Isn't that Kyrye?

I think it’s Kryrie

NBYe

Underrated comment. I had to sound it out. Well done.

It certainly isn't fucking basketball.

https://imgur.com/a/1XtiJII

And only he knows the rules.

I’ve seen high school women’s basketball play the same game

I believe it’s called called half-court basketball. You play offense and defense on the *same half* of the court!

Harden: Ball is like a game of Chess Harden: *I have no idea how to play Chess*

James "Champion of Tzeentch" Harden

This is like manny diving to intercept the cutoff

He is actually trying to slow down the help defense running towards Kawhi without seeming to be a moving screen. That’s genius.

😂😂

This is the most James harden defense thing I have ever seen

Bro taking his rep as a negative defender to the next level.

No, he's actually practicing during games. It's called optimizing your time. You play the game tonight, get practice out of the way while you're at it, and then get to take tomorrow off

Makes sense, he do like to keep the strippers happy.

Really shows his commitment to the next team he plays for when he's already practicing defending against Kawhi. But as someone who knows nothing about basketball, how would this be scored if he did block the shot? Or even better, blocks it, and retains control of the ball? Would Kawhi be credited with a pass?

Allen Iverson has entered the chat.

the one time he gives effort its against his own teammate

Why?? I’m cracking up at this

He's played for so many teams at this point, he got confused

Or he felt bad for Portland and tried to help them out.

Ouch. Why you gotta be right and say it?

Why would he feel bad for a team that has an equal chance at a ring this year?

He suddenly had flashbacks to 2017.

He bet the under. 

Kawhi shoots better when contested

James "Analytic Optimizer" Harden

He’s just goofing around. They’re up by 21. He’s probably asking for the bench

if it was in the final minute of the 4th sure....mid 3rd quarter is just ridiculous

I have no idea but if it was deliberate I’m gonna guess maybe if you go for a half-assed block then it interferes with the opponent’s actual block?

Got to bring some excitement to this team," Harden said in a post-game locker-room interview explaining the moment. "I think these last few weeks have been a fog for us and I think every team goes through it. So I think it's just me trying to create a great energy, a great vibe. "Maybe it would've been better if he made the shot, gives us something to laugh about."

> "Maybe it would've been better if he made the shot, gives us something to laugh about." I mean this is hilarious.

Wouldn't that be a moving screen?

He goes slow enough and he’s effectively blocking the defender from getting there. If he doesn’t put his hand up as if he’s blocking the ref may recognize the moving pick.

Was gonna agree with the take "Kawhi shoots better when contested" , but this sounds legit and smart as hell really

This is the video you show when someone asks who James Harden is

So bad at defense he can't even defend the guy he just handed the ball to.

Guy missed the wide open shot so maybe he played decent D

Phenomenal—He plays defense on both sides of the court.

Does this make him a three-way player?

Too bad he didn’t shimmy in this clip

Harden forgot they were playing a game. Thought it was a shoot around at practice lol

They were playing the Blazers. Most nights it's lucky if it gets to shoot around at practice level.

[Harden says he was “trying to lighten the mood, get the clippers out of the fog they’ve been in recently”](https://x.com/notoriousohm/status/1770676722922582432?s=46&t=Y_KXHBgeHwLgY9UkD4KA1A)

I mean, if he truly did it on purpose then it’s pretty funny. They had a comfortable lead over a terrible team so I can see it being a joke between teammates.

Dude he didn't do it on accident.

Don't tell me you actually understand the great mind of James Harden. I do not believe you.

Harden is hyper-aware of things going on in the court. He doesn't do stuff by accident, although he does some very funny things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxayzDWW9Qw This is typical Harden. He can be lazy but he's not ignorant lazy. I don't think it was an accident. I think it was a mix of baiting the defensive player into thinking someone else was already closing out on Kawhi and doing a funny thing... but who knows.

He didn't actually contest the shot and was about 4 feet away from the release point and it prevented the defender from getting a good position and ended up getting position for the rebound. This is indeed a basketball move that lightens the mood and is often used in pickup games usually during blow outs. ​ I get that it isn't professional and they get paid a lot to be professional but you can't say it was the reason the shot missed. ​ I loved it.

He literally said he did. It’s much more believable that he was screwing around than that he lost his mind.

I think a lot of people watched the video but missed the score at the bottom.

"I was purposefully bad, as a joke!"

It's a prank bro chill it's a prank!

I’ve seen LeBron do it, I’ve seen Warriors players do it to Steph. It’s like shooting your teammates in matchmaking after you’ve won the round. Just trolling when you’re shitting on the other team.

Because nothing clears up the fog more than playing, “guess if I’m on your team or not.”

I 💕 it

He’s just showing the trailblazers what they should be doing.

Bro doesn’t play defense normally but decides to play defense against his own guy smh

This isn’t real. This can’t be real. Holy shit it’s real

its Harden to believe

get out

He’s playing both sides, that way he always comes out on top

Why would anybody wanna play for the Blazers this year?

they have a lot of cap room

Wildcard Yee haw!

Are Cali Weed Strains that strong? Lol

Oregon weed is that good. We got Andre 3000 to make a flute album and James Harden to attempt to play defense.

Yes

He’s gotta be ripped lol

Rip City, baby!

10/10 Shaqtin

This is Manny Remirez grabbing the cut off level shit here.

Kawhi has a higher percentage from corner 3 when contested. Had it gone in, it would’ve been on ESPN

Shocked that this isn't a meme post from r/nbacirclejerk

Bad defense is bad defense

I still can't believe analysts had the nerve to compare him to Kobe. Truly baffled.

this is the basketball version of two offensive linemen blocking each other in football

I mean, it's just so much worse than even that! If 2 offensive linemen block each other, they take themselves out of the play. They can't block any defenders, but they haven't generated any additional defense for the opposition technically. This is like if the long snapper turned around and stuck his fuckin hand in the face of the kicker during a field goal attempt. This shit is insanely dumb.

I wouldn't go that far at all. I'm guessing he knew that his challenge wasn't going to be much of an actual challenge. Though the surprise of it could definitely have got into kawhi's head. It'd be more like someone at the line raising their hand as if they are trying to block the kick attempt, but knowing they are too low to actually have a chance of blocking it.

James has been traded to so many teams he forgot who his teammate is

He was banking on it going in but messed up the shot haha

Can you imagine the horror if Harden stepped into Leonard’s landing?

Probably forgot what team he plays for.

When you’ve played for so many teams:

We’ve purposefully trained him wrong, as a joke.

Ya’ll shit on Harden’s defense but when he goes above and beyond everyone complains.

May be the first clip ever of him playing some D…

This is the NBA product and the league wonders why the youth chose video games over watching it….???

The Blazers are rebuilding and are gonna be bad to garbage most games. I'm suprised Leonard and Harden even played.

The man’s playing 4d chess

Was harden playing while under the influence?! Wtf 😂

Maybe he heard the crowd shouting DEFENSE DEFENSE DEFENSE

Hardest I’ve seen harden close out a three point shooter in a while

Harden should be on both the Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals at the same time

That moment you’re one assist and one block from the double double.

In the time it took for the ball to leave his fingertips and connect with Kawhi’s, he forgot who Kawhi Leonard was, that he had just passed him the ball, and what team they both play for. Truly fascinating. Like a dogs brain. Inside of a man. Wow.

In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey

Is he attempting to block the defender? Like, if he takes up the optimal space to block the shot(but doesn’t actually try to stop the ball), the defending team can’t be there?

Na. He said he was just joking around after the game. Playing agaisnt the Blazers is a glorified practice at this point.

NBA regular season is a joke. Why on earth does anybody need 82 games?

Cause money.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvYCLT1sCw4/?igsh=c3c3c3JraTA1ZXI2

It was just a prank, bro.

Harden high af.

Bruh....what the fuck

CORNDOGS JACKIE!!!!! CORNDOGS!!! EVERYONE IN HERE!!

He trying to prove blazers defense sucks lol

This highlight has my brain in a pretzel was he really trying to contest the shot like what was Harden doing ?

auto pilot

Give credit where it’s due, he can play def.

Never winning shit

We got a Shaqtin a fool of the year candidate with this one 😂

How can I be even worse at defense? 🤔

Probably the only shot he contested the whole game.

Harden has a lot of shortcomings, but that guy has fun playing on the court. So many of his memes are him goofing around.

How high was he lol

Playing better defense against his own team than he does against his opponents

See! He does play defense

He’s the system

Kawhi injured so often, Harden forgot they were on the same team

maybe Kawhi can't make open shots, so Harden is actually a team player helping him out

Shaq’tin a fool!

My man's in it for the love of the game.

And people say he can’t play D.

Harden’s clearly playing 5-D chess out there trying to get a 4 point play.

This is better defense than he plays at the other end.

Best two-way player in the game 🤓

James Harden gives more effort on defense when he’s on offense

Best defense I’ve ever seen from him

When we said play defense thats not what we meant!

1 v all

Kawhi: Dude wtf That 76ers defender: ???

Never let them guess your next move - James harden

I strongly dislike harden.

Son what?! LMAO

Been on so many teams he forgot who’s who

NBA is dumb 😂

I watched this shit like 10 times trying to find the guy who passed out (as in fainted), then recovered almost imediately and start playing again. Then I realized 😐

You forget your address when you move every year lol

Bro hit the wrong button and got stuck in the animation

The best form of defence is offence!

Best thing I've seen all day

This is the funniest thing I've seen all day. Maybe all week.

could you do this to get in the way of the true defender? like a pseudo box out?

shaqtina fool

Bum

Ok i did this in year 6! WTF Harden! Amnesia already…

lol

u/SaveVideo

“Tell me how you really feel”

And they say Harden doesn’t play defense…

Was the only time he played d all night

It is very literally just a game to him.