Tobias Harris could probably offer counseling services to Chet Holmgren, as he knows exactly how it feels to be the scapegoat of a playoff defeat.
Holmgren had just four points and four rebounds in the deciding game seven and is taking the brunt of the criticism levied at the Thunder because of it, though somehow, Jalen Duren still got it worse.
The same happened to Tobias Harris in Philly, where he was made the villain after flaming out in the playoffs in games that unfairly defined his career.
These types of things generally go well beyond basketball for some reason, as overexuberant fans (that’s a euphemism) make it their life mission to trash players like Harris or Holmgren and act as if having a bad game in the playoffs is some sort of moral failing.
Seriously, google Tobias Harris/Philly/Playoffs, and you’ll find a dozen frothing 76ers fans still complaining about Harris with ad hominem attacks that have nothing to do with sports.
Unfortunately for Holmgren, the same will probably be true for him, as no amount of reality seems to get these guys out of the doghouse.
Fans love a narrative
One of my least favorite things about modern fandom is the way certain fans parrot opinions without ever looking into them or even thinking about them for themselves.
Tobias Harris has had a long and steady career, including in the playoffs, but if you asked any Philly fan (and now some Pistons fans) you’d find he’s a CHOKER, even though the numbers don’t back this claim at all.
Same with Holmgren, who was having a pretty good playoff run right up until the point he ran into Wembanyama, who is possibly the best defender I’ve ever seen. Holmgren was dominated, and didn’t look ready for the moment, something which fans are rubbing in his face as they call him out from behind avatars.
I get it, we are all emotional slaves to a 24/hour news cycle that rewards the most vitriolic and hyperbolic takes, which is how Jalen Duren turned into a “bum” overnight, Tobias Harris became a “choker” and Chet Holgrem morphed into a word I am not going to write here.
Harris was great in the playoffs this year, playing a much larger role than he should have been playing, yet I still see fans talking about how he “choked” in game seven. Forget that his 30-point performance in game seven against Orlando was one of the only reasons the Pistons were even in the second round, or that he has averaged nearly 19 points per game in game sevens in his career. Nope, he’s a choker.
I hate to tell Holmgren, but he’ll find this monicker tough to shake no matter what else happens in his career, especially if the Thunder don’t stack a few more titles.
Tobias Harris knows all about this phenomenon, as your career suddenly gets defined by one game, and that’s not much you can do to change it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google