James Harden did not have the best of games on Wednesday, as the Houston Rockets succumbed to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 114-107. This prompted some pretty harsh criticism from Rockets legend and current broadcast analyst Calvin Murphy.
Murphy provided some postgame insight on Harden's performance, and as the broadcast cut to commercial, the 72-year-old was heard throwing a rather demeaning jab toward the Rockets superstar:
Uhm.. volume up 🔊 pic.twitter.com/ZXzeadHUQv
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) January 7, 2021
In case you missed it, Murphy made a simple two-word statement about Harden: “He quit.”
Murphy probably thought his mic was already muted, as he openly shared his real thoughts on Harden's lackluster showing against Indiana.
The former MVP went just 5-of-14 on Wednesday for 15 points. He also notched four rebounds, 12 assists, a steal, two blocks, and four turnovers. It wasn't a completely useless performance from Harden, but as Murphy so candidly put it, he did not do enough to lift his side to victory when it mattered most.
Harden isn't the most loved personality in Houston right now, with the eight-time All-Star making it abundantly clear that he now wants to move on from the Rockets. He has still been putting up some eye-popping numbers for his current team, though, averaging 29.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 11.0 assists, and 1.2 steals while also connecting on 3.8 triples per game on a 38.8 percent clip.
It is probably safe to say, however, that for most die-hard Houston supporters such as Murphy — a Hall of Famer who spent his entire career with the Rockets franchise — seeing Harden go wouldn't be the worst thing.
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