James Harden and the LA Clippers were the recipients of a lot of criticism after their 0-5 start that followed the big trade. Having turned things around since then, going 18-5 since their 0-5 start to the Harden era, the Clippers look every bit of the dominant team they expected to be. Speaking with reporters after Wednesday night’s win over the Phoenix Suns, Harden called out the critics from LA’s rough start following the trade, saying, “Obviously it didn’t start off well. It gave people so much to talk about in a negative way. And now those people that was talking, they’re nowhere to be found. Like literally nowhere
While the Clippers are not where they want to be yet, the signs of a dominant team are very much there. This was evident all throughout December, and has carried over into the new year. Harden and the Clippers also understand that the ultimate test will be the postseason, but that reality also strengthens his point. If what ultimately matters is the playoffs, then the Clippers should not have been buried by the media the way they were after just five regular season games. Having seen some of that noise, Harden recognizes that those critics are now nowhere to be found after they were very loud to start his time with the Clippers.
