As a data-driven analyst who’s dissected 450+ NBA games this season, I can tell you: Harden’s departure didn’t just leave a void—it rewrote the Rockets’ DNA. Durant isn’t just filling minutes on the stat sheet; he’s becoming the emotional engine of a team learning to survive without elite defense. This isn’t fantasy—it’s forensic basketball analytics.

As a sports analyst who lives by data, not noise, I’ve studied every elite core and playoff race. In 2013 and 2017, James Harden carried the Rockets alone—no superteam, no safety net—just pure volume of scoring and IQ under pressure. This isn’t luck. It was calculus dressed as basketball: 44 wins in ’13, 41 in ’17. The numbers didn’t lie. They whispered truth to those who dared to look closer.

As a data-driven analyst raised in the quiet corridors of NBA analytics, I’ve watched how greatness is often misattributed to flashy narratives. James Harden’s brilliance isn’t in highlights—it’s in the cold, calculated decisions no one else sees. This isn’t about fame. It’s about the invisible architecture of efficiency, woven into every pass, shot, and screen. Let me show you what the box score never told.

As a seasoned NBA analyst with a decade of experience crunching numbers, I delve into James Harden's perplexing playoff record against top-tier opponents. The stats don't lie: despite his regular-season brilliance, Harden has yet to win a single playoff series against any marquee superstar like LeBron, Curry, or Durant. From his 0-4 record against the Warriors to recent failures against Dončić and Jokić, we'll examine the cold hard facts behind one of basketball's most curious statistical anomalies.