May 1, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; NBA on TNT reporter Lauren Jbara (right) interviews LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) after game six of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

James Harden’s Former Teammate Speaks on Clippers’ Game 7 Loss

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Justin Grasso | Last updated May 9, 2025 9:02 PM ET

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverley watched one of his old teams go toe-to-toe with the Denver Nuggets for seven games. The ex-Clipper witnessed one of his former teammates, James Harden , put on a Game 7 performance that led to a ton of criticism.

It was a situation the NBA knows well.

At this stage in his career, Harden has established a negative reputation in Game 7s. He’s 3-4 in those matchups, with his two most recent Game 7 runs being uncharacteristically disappointing.

When Harden played in three Game 7s with the Houston Rockets, he went 2-1. The star guard scored over 30 points in two of those games. Unfortunately, the loss against the Golden State Warriors held more weight, since it was the game that could’ve sent the Rockets to the NBA Finals.

In 2023, Harden suited up for the Sixers in a seven-game series against the Boston Celtics. When the matchup reached the do-or-die stage for both teams, thanks to a Sixers loss at home in Game 6, Harden scored just nine points on 27 percent shooting in 41 minutes.

During the Game 7 battle between the Clippers and the Nuggets last week, Harden scored on just 25 percent of his shots to produce seven points in 35 minutes.

“When you got a chance to close people out, you’ve got to do it,” Patrick Beverley said on the ‘Pat Bev Pod’ this week.

Beverley, a known supporter of Harden, continued to praise his former teammate for his effort throughout the 2024-2025 NBA season. While the first-round Game 7 outcome was disappointing and worthy of heavy criticism, Beverley had a clear message in support of Harden.

“He performed all season when Kawhi was hurt. They had them winning 33 games—they won 50 games. There wouldn’t even be a Game 7 if they didn’t make it to the playoffs,” Beverley said.

Zooming out, there was a growing narrative about Harden that the star guard proved to be simply incorrect. Many believed that the former MVP was regressing to the point of being washed. Harden ended up getting back in the All-Star game, while leading a Kawhi-less Clippers team to a 19-13 record before the return of the two-way superstar.

Beyond that, though, the critics have been relatively fair about Harden’s strange shortcomings in the big games.

“The numbers people have been reading off to me, it’s been wild hearing,” Beverley added. “Like, four field goals or less in 55 playoff games. I’m not saying it’s entirely on him, because if it wasn’t for him, they wouldn’t be in the position that they are in. I just think that Game 7s are tricky, man. … Once you lose control of what’s going on in the game, the game’s over.”