The Rockets were fighting to stay in the playoffs, as they were down 3-2 in Thursday night's game six matchup against the Spurs. James Harden was expected to step up and force a game seven, especially since Kawhi Leonard was out due to injury. But Harden had arguably his worst game of his career and the Rockets were ran out of the building. They lost 114-75 and many put the blame on Harden for coming up short in a big moment. Harden blamed himself for his off night and knows that this will stick with him for a while ESPN First Take's Stephen A.

Smith was just as shocked as we were about Hardens off night and even got some Hall Of Famers input on Harden's performance.

Quitting on the team?

Stephen A. Smith was on Sportscenter last night after the Rockets lost and couldn't find a good reason to explain James Harden's night. He gave the suggestion that Harden might've been drugged, or something might've been slipped in his drink, causing him to play like that. He also said that what he saw in that game wasn't the James Harden he saw the majority of the season. Now there is a very small chance that Harden was actually drugged before the game. Smith also used words like "awful, abysmal, comatose" to explain Harden's performance.

What was more interesting is that Stephen A.

Smith said that he received texts from Hall of Fame players commenting about Harden in game six. Smith said that these Hall of Fame players who weren't named accused James Harden of quitting during last night's game. That is a hefty accusation, but these players are Hall of Famers for a reason and they know what it takes to win a championship.

Stephen A. also said that this accusation might be a stretch but he didn't question them, as they have the title of a Hall of Famer for a reason.

Time to Think

James Harden will have a lot of time to think about his performance in Thursday night loss, as their offseason has already begun. Stephen A. Smith believes this game won't stick around with Harden just for the summer.

He believes this is a stain that will be on him until he does something good enough to make people forget about his lackluster performance. Harden was a dominant player throughout the NBA season but failed to step up when his team needed him most. His First Take partner Max Kellerman said Harden simply "choked" which is the perfect word to label Harden's night. Stephen A. said he looked passive, which made his performance even worse. Harden will need to think long and hard about his off night and make sure it doesn't happen again.

To be accused of quitting is nothing to shrug off and James Harden might need to address those accusations. Stephen A. Smith is good at what he does and he touched on every aspect of James Harden's night.

With their offseason starting Friday, the Rockets are hoping this offseason goes by quickly so they can get this bad taste out of their mouths.
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