James Harden Under Duress after head-scratching play in Clippers win | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

James Harden Under Duress after head-scratching play in Clippers win | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

The budless it’s also a time where we take a little break from the show to read some viewer mail for the year 2024 we get a ton of mail and I pick out a letter at random every Thursday and read it on Air dear Wilds love the show why do so many of the other weekly segments have high-end production value props and graphics and the bud list only has you open opening a single letter thanks Ryan uh why am going going be glass half full Ryan first of all I like the

Letters but glass half full our production team here and in the control room has done an excellent job adding a little gen qua to things like momes Mountain so we get the music we get the snow it adds a little bit of something else that’s not it’s not real snow

That’s not real snow although sometimes I do have a little snow on my shoulders and we’ve sort of taken that uh commitment to Excellence and brought it to uh uh King of the Hill where we have the butterflies and nicer music and now as the year goes on we are going to be

Trying to do other segments in ad Them try have the same type of production value that we your segment oh man well done well done good team good cre you know what great that fit put that on the Emmy real that fits this week’s bu L okay because I’m starting at number three with James Harden speaking of

Silly yes all right and James you’re not on the list because you tried to block your teammate shot last night uh you’re on the list because this is your chance man this is your chance to erase the one smear on your Hall of Fame career and

That smear of course you don’t get it done in the playoffs if you can just help and I know it’s not an easy thing but help the Clippers win the West we’re not even talking about the finals yeah you want to win the finals too but if

You can just help them get to the finals for the first time in their history that will wipe a little of that smear off if you can help him win the championship it it kind of goes away all right and here’s the great thing about it for

Harden we’re not even asking you to be Batman we’re not even asking you to be Robin here we go just a little Alfred would work I mean serious a steady Alfred a steady Alfred don’t turn the ball over all right don’t get hesitant don’t don’t fade don’t disappear all

Right don’t get tentative just you know uh pass the ball to your guys Kawai and Paul George get several assists as you do so well and don’t have the huge turnovers James this is this is it steady you’re not the first guy you’re not the second guy you’re Alfred I

Believe in you at number two and this one goes out to Dusty who’s is a an Alum of Purdue Zack Edy now for those that don’t know cuz college basketball isn’t quite what it used to be Zack Edy is a 7 fo4 in senior center for Purdue which is a number one

Seed in the tournament this year and Zach last year Year guys he won all six Player of the Year Awards he’s got a great chance of winning a bunch of them this year wouldn’t award n Smith award here’s the problem for all of his accolades for all of his great stats 24

Points almost 12 rebounds a game two rejections a night his postseason tournament success is virtually nil all right last year they became the F only the second number one seed ever to lose to a 16 seed fairly Dickinson I mean this is right down the street from me uh

They lost to him and now here’s the good news uh Zack the when Virginia the first team to lose to a 16 seed what the next year they came back and won it y so this would be your chance that only happened a few years ago 2019 but when he was a

Sophomore they they did get to the Sweet 16 but lost to St Peters oh yeah a 15 seed and then his freshman year they lost to in the first round to 13 seated uh whoever D whoever 13 seat all right and so Zack this is your chance we’re

Not even asking North Texas we’re not even asking for a an NCAA Championship it be be nice but go ahead don’t be the most decorated player to have terrible NCAA success I I believe in you yeah that that is interesting I didn’t think about that but similar all right number

One Nick you like this one I’m giving your boy motivation Hollywood Brown thank you similar to James Harden this is your chance Hollywood this is what Hollywood’s wanted he we know Lamar is great but he’s not like you know a prolific Pastor okay so Hollywood said

Man let me go play with Kyler Murray I want to light things up Kyler Murray’s been banged up okay it didn’t work out in Arizona now Hollywood for those that might not know he was the first receiver taken back in 2019 and he was the first round pick 25th overall but first

Receiver y’all know some of the second round receivers pry AJ Brown DK meta Debo Samuel they all have done more than Hollywood but guess what they all don’t have Patrick Mahomes I’m serious Hollywood man this is your chance if you really feel I’m sure you do feel like

You that guy this is the chance to be that guy you can win a Super Bowl you can put yourself individually on the map make a pro bowl do your thing man Hollywood I do believe in you there it is excellent that was great and you know

What I have felt kind of weird and off all week and I thought it was no I thought it was the broken arm but I realized something we didn’t get our weekly dose of motivation last week cuz the show was dark we weren’t on the air

Thanks to the big tournament and so I so now I feel locked back in I assume the audience does as well to budless Brew such a great one this morning on the call when they’re like Nick do you have somebody I was like yeah I was going to

Put James Harden on there but Brew already put him on there so I’m going to put a different JH on there Justin Herbert Justin Herbert you go to the bud list because For the First Time in your career no one is going to blame the coach can’t be Anthony Lynn’s fault it’s

Not going to be Brandon Staley’s fault it’s not going to be Kell Moore’s fault because everyone knows that Jim Harbaugh is a great coach also for the first time in your career your team actually isn’t stacked so what is a weird thing has happened with the Chargers last few

Years each of the last two seasons before this one all off seon folks talked about the Chargers about how they were as talented as any team in the league about how they were going to beat the Chiefs and win the division about how they were a Super Bowl team and then

When they fell flat people would be like well what do you want them to do it’s like I thought they had all this Talent now you actually don’t have a ton of talent and I actually think Herbert is a really really good player but that top five quarterback list is getting awful tight

Because you have obviously moms you have Josh Allen you have Lamar you have Joe burrow that’s just in his own conference CJ would like to get in on there I think my guy Caleb would like to get in there eventually I know my guy Trevor thought

He was going to be there after he beat Herbert in a playoff game Jordan love and all of a sudden if they don’t succeed this year and this is again probably the least Talent he’s going to have how will people look at Justin Herbert and his zero career playoff wins

And the one playoff game he played in it was kind of a second half meltdown when we all think he’s got a great coach so I think Justin Herbert fair or not is going to be under a bit of duress right now this season that’s a great call

That’s a great call um I look physically he’s got all the tools including toughness yes we’ve seen him play through rib injuries in the whole nine yards but I’ve wondered not cuz I’ve seen a dir of it but just when you don’t win at all are the other intangibles

There and we’ve always BL he’s had to overcome his coaching I mean let’s face it it almost worked against him I think and now he doesn’t have that the thing is what are what’s their plan at receiver I mean are these guys better than we they lost keen and Allen they

Might draft maybe they’re going to draft you know neighbors or Marvin Harrison but a lot of people think they’re going to trade back in the draft and accumulate they get one of those guys that’d be awesome there’s a lot of other there’s some other good guys too so yeah

Um but that’s a great ad I’m adding Joe moula he was roundly mocked bro for trying to block Royce O’Neal the sun’s shot uh recently to the point where Charles Barkley that you know if you ever got into a time machine and did that to me when I was on the Suns I

Would physically injure you take a listen well Joe responded I’m always up to get knocked out I think that’s important if you can’t go through the day hoping you don’t get knocked out I don’t know what what do you do a courtesy of 98.5 is all I convert from

So here’s what my take is and I i’ I’ve evolved my think has evolved on this at first I was like you know what obviously silly to go and try to block a player shot when you’re the coach oh look at the results are they silly beat the Bucks last night they’re

11 games up on the Bucks they’re in first place bucks they’re 11 games up Giannis didn’t play well they’re still okay I I know he didn’t play but they’re 11 games up was it was that game worth 11 I’m just saying don’t get M was it like a Money Ball situation where this

One was worth a lot the Thunder are up 11 and 1 half games on the Lakers who are in ninth place and no one’s like you know what Thunder in the Lakers right there the Celtics are blowing teams out on a historic rate and who’s the leader of

That team Joe Missoula so if he needs to block a guy shot and he was told not to do it from someone on high don’t change if it ain’t broke don’t fix it Joe Missoula you guys are winning in a big way no need to move anything playing

Great so that was motivation yeah you shouldn’t change well look where I I I don’t think he was trying to be silly I think that’s their you look at his explanation that is their like you know how players was it Garnett used to be like you’re not we blocking shot you’re

Not just putting in a shot against us even if the time’s not running and that was kind of what Missoula was thinking now he won’t do it anymore or you know he he don’t want to get trouble the league I have a great impromptu take yeah when did the eagle season start to

Go downhill big Dom when big Dom got involv in the mix and it’s like you know what you got to go you got to change your ways Eagle season went down the tubes yeah don’t get big domed what does that mean well if he starts if he starts

Changing his ways he wants he can’t do it again or he might get I don’t know what the league would find they probably find him doing nothing James Harden’s out trying to block his own team well look I I do think Missoula this is he needs a they better get to the finals

Which no what wants to take right now just watching this production SC I don’t hate it I don’t hate it on well then I don’t like it anymore it’s only funny if it makes Brew mad like a little bumblebees running around thanks for watching subscribe

Here to get more from the show and to check out clips from other shows on FS1

Chris Broussard alongside Nick Wright and Kevin Wildes releases the latest edition of the Under Duress List featuring LA Clippers guard James Harden, Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey and Kansas City Chiefs WR Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown. Other nominees include Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert and Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.

#FirstThingsFirst #NBA #JamesHarden

SUBSCRIBE to get the latest from First Things First: http://foxs.pt/SubscribeFIRSTTHINGSFIRST
The all-new FOX Sports App, built for the modern sports fan: https://tinyurl.com/y4uouolb

►Watch the latest content from First Things First: https://foxs.pt/LatestOnFIRSTTHINGSFIRST

▶ The Carton Show’s YouTube channel: http://sprtspod.fox/SubscribeCartonShow
▶ The Herd with Colin Cowherd’s YouTube channel: http://foxs.pt/SubscribeTHEHERD
► UNDISPUTED’s YouTube channel: http://foxs.pt/SubscribeUNDISPUTED
► Speak’s YouTube channel: http://sprtspod.fox/SUBSCRIBEtoSpeak
► The Skip Bayless Show YouTube channel: http://sprtspod.fox/SUBSCRIBESkipShow
► What’s Wright? with Nick Wright YouTube channel: http://sprtspod.fox/whatswright/youtube

See more from First Things First: http://foxs.pt/FIRSTTHINGSFIRSTFoxSports
Like First Things First on Facebook: http://foxs.pt/FIRSTTHINGSFIRSTFacebook
Follow First Things First on Twitter: http://foxs.pt/FIRSTTHINGSFIRSTTwitter
Follow First Things First on Instagram: http://foxs.pt/FIRSTTHINGSFIRSTInstagram
Follow Nick Wright on Twitter: http://foxs.pt/NickWrightTwitter
Follow Chris Broussard on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chris_Broussard
Follow Kevin Wildes on Twitter: https://foxs.pt/KevinWildesTwitter

About First Things First:
Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Kevin Wildes team up on First Things First. The trio offers their take on a bevy of sports stories alongside special guests from across the sports world.

James Harden Under Duress after head-scratching play in Clippers win | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

First Things First
https://www.youtube.com/c/FirstThingsFirst