On February 28, 2023, 76 people fought fiercely with the heat until the last moment. 76 people who were 2 points behind arranged Joel enbide to attack strongly. Enbide drew bag clip points to harden, and Harden scored three points receive the ball.

At that time, even harden himself thought that the ball must be scored, and he even prepared to celebrate the killing. But when the sky failed to meet people’s wishes, the ball hit RIM and popped up, and 76 people were reluctant to lose.

On May 8th, the fourth game of the 76-person Eastern semi-final fought fiercely with the Celtics to the last moment of overtime. This time, it was enbide’s strong attack to attract bag clip, and Harden’s three points receive the ball. This time, Harden seized the opportunity and the ball was hollow into the basket. 76 people lore opponents chased the big score of the series to 2 square meters.

On the night of Harden cutting 42 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists, this bottom point was the only receive the ball point in Harden’s shot, but the three points were the one with the greatest significance. This three points not only helped 76 people win a key victory, but also praised Harden’s efforts to transform and practice receive the ball for a whole year.

Once, Harden was not used to receive the ball shots, with less shots and low output and general efficiency. Starting from joining the Rockets as the core of the team, Harden’s receive the ball shooting proportion became lower and lower, and the retreat three points became its signboard.

Especially at the critical moment of the match, don’t expect Harden to play the role of a non-goal shooter. According to the database, both the regular season and the playoffs are counted. Harden hit three points in the last 24 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime. Harden adopted the singles attack mode.

On April 10, 2013, the Rockets beat the Sun (note: Harden didn’t make the shot, but the sun interfered with the ball. Harden’s shot was counted). On January 4, 2019, the Rockets beat the Warriors in overtime, and on May 2, 2023, 76 people beat the Celtics in the first game of the Eastern semi-final. Harden hit three fatal points, all of which adopted the mode of strong three points.

However, after coming to 76 people, in order to adapt to enbide, Harden reduced the proportion of strong shots with the ball, turning himself into an excellent non-ball shooter with more than 40% of the three-point stars receive the ball.

After Harden joined 76 people in the middle of last season, when the outside world discussed the compatibility between Harden and enbide, Harden was not good at shooting receive the ball, which was repeatedly mentioned. It’s not that Harden is not allowed to vote. In the 2019-20 season, he once cast a three-point hit rate of 41.2% in receive the ball. The problem is that Harden is not used to shooting receive the ball. Most of the time, even if he has a vacancy, he is also used to finding rhythm first.

The cooperation between Harden and enbide, which can attract a lot of defensive attention, must be used to receive the ball shots. Enbide urged Harden to say, “both of us have to make sacrifices. I have to participate more in blocking and dismantling, whether it is smooth or unpacked. Harden was the kind of player who used to hold the ball and shoot strongly before, but here, when I was bag clip, he had to shoot more receive the ball so as to help me break the bag clip, this is what he has to do.”

Coach Rivers also stressed: “The ball will be transferred to harden. He has never experienced this situation before, and he rarely receive the ball shots. Therefore, he must adapt.”

Harden did not adapt to it at first. He himself admitted that “I have been used to holding a lot of balls over the years, and the ball was transferred to me to let me vote receive the ball. I am really not used to it”. But Harden is willing to change for the team. He once said that the theme for him this season is “sacrifice”. Sacrifice refers not only to money and tactical status, but also to his style of play.

“I will watch video research and practice hard receive the ball shots. As time goes by, my receive the ball shots will perform better.” Harden is full of confidence.

Switching from a strong shot with the ball to a receive the ball shot without the ball seems easy to say, but it is difficult to change the habit for many years. Harden has made a lot of efforts to form a new muscle memory. When Harden received the ball, he forced himself to try not to fengshui ball, but to shoot directly.

Harden said: “We have been practicing receive the ball three points and practicing every day. When enbide gets into the restricted area to attract bag clip, I will always get receive the ball chance to vote three points.”

Harden’s hard work has achieved results:

This season, Harden played 58 games in the regular season, shooting 107 times receive the ball three points, hitting 44, with a hit rate of 41.1%. Harden’s proportion of three-point shots in receive the ball increased, with the hit rate among 76 people, Niang and Melton.

Harden’s fengshui ball at zero three-point shot percentage reached 40.7%, which is more efficient than his fengshui ball dry pull. When Harden made more than 7 shots fengshui ball, the hit rate of three points was only 32.5%.

In the playoffs, due to the defensive strategies of basketable nets and Celtics, Harden’s three-point shooting frequency in receive the ball decreased, but he could hold it when he got the chance. He made 7 shots in 12 times, which was highly efficient.

Back to today’s game, at the last moment of overtime, the Celtics 115-113 led by 2 points. According to Harden, the original plan of 76 people was to let Harden cooperate with enbied once, but Brown shield against Harden’s receive the ball route, and Harden chose to open the space at the bottom corner of the right side. Enbide made a strong attack and Brown helped defend against the attack. At this time, Brown faced the game of two sets of numbers:

Before this game, when Harden shot the shots that could help the team beat in the last 30 seconds of the game, he made a total of 11 shots and 2 shots, with a hit rate of 18.2%.

Harden hit 38.9 percent in the bottom corner on the right this season. He shot 51 out of 119 in the regular season and receive the ball in the playoffs, with a hit rate of 42.9 percent.

Brown bet on enbide’s mishandling of the ball in the face of bag clip (the ball did not pass very well), and Harden’s shots was not smart. But Brown lost the bet, and Harden ended the game with receive the ball shots that he had practiced hard for a year.

“At that time, I really shouldn’t have bet on that, let Harden hit the key three points, my fault, I take full responsibility.” Brown said after the game. Brown doesn’t have to blame himself too much. Facing the comparison between the two sets of data, most players may make this choice. However, what he met was Harden who had made progress in receive the ball.

Harden’s career was full of resonance with the times. He enjoyed the dividends of the times and became a representative figure of magic ball. However, when the league constantly modifies the rules, increases its age, increases injuries, and changes the team environment one after another, Harden is also in a downturn, but Harden is always exploring how to have a better future in the new version.

For the first time in his career, he invested three points receive the ball lore, which was the answer Harden explored.