Taking on the NY Knicks in the Conference Finals last night, Harden had his defense exposed in a disappointing 115-104 loss, and Shannon Sharpe, LeBron James’ close friend, wasted no time comparing him unfavorably to Luka Doncic. Although James Harden delivered two important clutch performances against the Pistons, his overall postseason form has remained subpar. Sharpe, who has repeatedly criticized Doncic’s defense, now applied the same standard to Harden.

Going live following the game on his show Nightcap, Shannon Sharpe rained down his criticism on James Harden. “James Harden has been atrocious. James Harden is no better than Luka,” Sharpe said. “We know they’re outstanding guys on the offensive end. But the thing is, you can’t let them relax on the defensive end. You’ve got to go at them, and that’s what the Knicks did.”

Sharpe considered Doncic’s defense borderline unwatchable despite his offensive explosion this season, and even ruled the Lakers out of title contention for this very reason, even before the hamstring injury.

The former NFL star picked his criticism from the Knicks’ offensive strategy to single out Harden in the fourth quarter. After the Knicks fell behind by 22 points midgame, Harden remained the Knicks’ primary target, as Jalen Brunson kept attacking him repeatedly down the stretch.

Speaking of the strategy, coach Mike Brown said, “There is no secret. We were attacking Harden.”

At the same time, James Harden didn’t have a great night on the offensive end as well. He recorded 15 points for 5-15 FG and also conceded 6 turnovers. This was his 6th game with more turnovers than made field goals in this postseason alone.

The numbers alone brought out Sharpe’s frustration as he told, “We are talking about a Top 75 player. We are talking about one of the greatest players of this generation.”

Notably, Harden has recorded more turnovers than made field goals in 48 of his 188 playoff games. This brought about Sharpe’s final nail, where he expects Harden to play good defense if he can’t generate offense.

“You can’t suck at both ends of the court.”

This brings us to one of the most debated topics about James Harden’s career.

Can James Harden fix his playoff reputation?

Shannon Sharpe didn’t restrict his criticism just to one poor night against the Knicks. He picked up the larger debate: James Harden’s continued shortcomings in the postseason.

Beard’s postseason struggles have remained an unsolved mystery in the league. Compared to Harden’s regular-season impact, the veteran guard hasn’t really translated it on the big stage. This often led to the criticism surrounding his ability to show up under pressure.

“He hasn’t been that great postseason player that we’re accustomed to seeing in the regular season,” Sharpe said. “Some things are offered without explanation. And maybe this is one of those things that are offered without explanation.”

The 36-year-old had his greatest postseason run in 2019, taking the Rockets to the Conference Finals, averaging 31.6 ppg. Unfortunately, he came to a dramatic end after the Dynasty Warriors did their magic. Apart from that, he has never really shown his brilliance, playing for the Nets, 76ers, and the Clippers.

Despite the mounting criticism, Harden dismissed concerns directly. When reporters asked him about his postseason shortcomings, he said, “Honestly, I don’t care.”

“There are no excuses. I don’t feel bad, I don’t dwell on it. Don’t think back like, ‘Ah, what if?’ It’s part of it. It’s life,” Harden said.

Nevertheless, with the series still alive, playing alongside Donovan Mitchell, Harden could actually fix his playoff reputation.