James Harden Block Video: 27-Year-Old Harden’s 3-Point Attempt Blocked By 39-Year-Old Manu Ginobili [Photos]
Twitter reports both “James Harden” and “James Harden block” as popular search terms on Wednesday, May 10. As seen in the above photo, 39-year-old Manu Ginobili, No. 20 with the San Antonio Spurs, found himself the hero of Game 5 on Tuesday, May 9, when the Argentinian blocked the shot of James Harden of the Houston Rockets. Videos like the one below, showing Manu blocking Harden’s three-point shot attempt at a critical point in the game, are going viral on Twitter and beyond.
???? Manu with the game winning block on James Harden! #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/NH63RZoKji
— Fanatics View (@fanaticsview) May 10, 2017
Harden was making a three-point shot attempt, and Game 5 was down to the overtime wire during the last few seconds of OT in the second-round NBA basketball playoff series. With the game being played in San Antonio, Manu turned out to be the hero of the game when Ginobili came from behind Harden to block James’ attempt to tie up the game and go into additional overtime periods. Instead, Manu’s blocked shot caused San Antonio to win over the Rockets 110-107.
On Wednesday, many people on Twitter are making a big deal out of Manu’s age, and the fact that an older ball player was able to take the younger Harden to school. Although only 39 years of age, Ginobili is being called a “fossil” and an “old man” on social media in comparison to Harden’s 27 years on Earth. In basketball years, Manu is considered plenty old enough to still be playing the game of basketball.
Forget Jerry West…this should be new #nba logo! Manu Ginobili and his block on James Harden #photooftheyear pic.twitter.com/LX6YfoKCoP
— Luka Bassin (@LukaBassin) May 10, 2017
Harden, however, is the type of basketball player who is so popular on and off the basketball court that rappers tend to use his name in their songs pretty often. Like the “White Iverson” song, which proclaims, “b*** I’m Harden, I don’t miss nothing.” But with Harden being blocked from behind by Manu, it is being heavily noted just how much Harden missed that three-point attempt before James could even get the ball in the air. Ginobili’s block is being called a clean block, with Manu’s hand on the ball only as he stripped it back and away from Harden’s hands.
The search term James Harden block is rife with plenty of photos, videos, and commentary about Harden getting “posterized” by the older Manu. It’s a term that means a person has suffered such a humiliating defeat that the shot will forever live on in infamy in posters across the nation. Folks are commenting on how dejected James appeared after being blocked by Manu.
The common theme for many people publishing tweets about Ginobili’s clean block of Harden tends to feature Ginobili’s age and questions about how James could let such an “old” man block his shot. However, basketball fans are calling Manu a legend and giving him his due in sample comments like the following from social media about the blocked shot of Harden.
“James Harden looked sick after that block.”
“The unexpected block, like how Manu got James Harden last night, was always my fav growing up.”
“James Harden welcome to block city b****!!
#SpursInSix#MeanManu#NBAPlayoffs2017”“James Harden, ‘fatigue?.’ Block at buzzer. EVERY body and their mother KNEW Harden was goin’ to take the last shot. ‘Wait for iiitt’ BLOCK.”
“The Manu Ginobli block on James Harden last night was one of my favourite ever.
#GoSpursGo.”“If it wasn’t for Manu block James Harden would’ve made that three last night no lie.”
“Manu gets the block on James Harden to complete the Spurs win!”
The game-defining block against Harden is winning plenty of praise from Spurs fans for Manu, with some folks joking that the NBA logo should replace Jerry West with an image of Manu’s block against James.
[Featured Image by Eric Gay/AP Images]
