A playoff record 13 turnovers in a game. Season over. For MVP runner-up James Harden, last night was rough to say the least, especially because the guy he lost the award to is moving on to the next round, not to mention has an daughter who’s currently stealing headlines across the country with her unbelievable adorableness. Just bummer city all around for James & Co. But was his catastrophic performance just bad luck, or was it the fabled Lil B curse? Considering B was in the building to witness (or cause) Harden’s meltdown, it’s is enough to make one wonder. Though it’s all over now, we think come next season there’s a way James can kick the curse for good, to repent for his sins against the Based God—by shaving his beard.

Shaving his iconic facial hair would be a sacrifice. Harden has become so synonymous with his beard that the Rockets have even made it into an unofficial slogan—"Fear the Beard." There’s T-shirts honoring it, and fans who scatter the crowd of the Toyota Center in Houston sport faux facial hair as an homage to its greatness. Is it possible that all this beard worship lead to basketball hubris?

Of course, all of this ignores the very reason Harden got into this mess with Lil B in the first place, by co-opting B’s signature "cooking" dance. If you’re unfamiliar with the move, it involves a person miming the act of stirring and scooping food into ones mouth. (It’s incredibly fun to do.) But what about when Harden has to eat IRL? We’d be willing to bet his beard, thick, coarse, and long, isn’t doing him any favors. Soups and sauces probably get all up in there. In fact, it’s probably easier for Harden to fake eat than real eat, and that just ain’t right. Perhaps a beard trim would serve practical, as well as spiritual, purpose.

We think it’s time for Harden to lay the beard to rest. And to simultaneously lay the curse to rest for next season. Lil B, his face, and maybe even his ball-handling skills will thank him.

Jake Woolf is a writer who has covered men’s style for over ten years and has contributed to GQ since 2014. A graduate of Parsons The New School for Design (good school, long name), he also has bylines at Robb Report, HighSnobiety, Pitchfork, and the defunct #menswear website Four Pins... Read moreWriterXRelated Stories for GQNBAGroomingNBA