The Philadelphia 76ers, led by James Harden, are battling for the top record in the Eastern Conference. They are currently in third place, three games behind the Miami Heat. The presence of “The Beard” has helped the Sixers to an 8-2 record when he plays.
Despite James Harden’s outstanding start to his tenure as the Philadelphia 76ers’ starting point guard, many fans are still waiting for his characteristic big-game performance. Yes, the Sixers have only lost twice since Harden came, but both losses were to excellent opponents. He still hasn’t delivered the goods when his team most needs him to.
According to ESPN’s Tim McMahon, James Harden is under the most pressure in the NBA to perform on the largest stage:
“Of all the NBA players, Harden has the most to prove. He’s been deciding on his destination for the past two years. Last year, his hamstring gave out, but he made the best of the circumstances. So there aren’t any excuses. Around them, we may speak about roster issues; this is what he picked.”
The 10x All-Star was hardly recognizable against his former team
James Harden notoriously forced his way out of the Houston Rockets to join the Brooklyn Nets with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The 32-year-much old’s awaited postseason debut with the Nets was cut short due to chronic hamstring concerns.
Midway through the season, the three-time NBA scoring champion also parted ways with the Nets’ Big 3 to join Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. Sixers supporters were looking forward to the game against the Brooklyn Nets, not just to boo Ben Simmons, but also to watch how their squad would do against Durant and Irving.
James Harden slumped to the ground in classic James Harden form, while Irving and Durant sparkled amid the superstars. Harden’s next spectacular failure, according to Tim McMahon, has become almost expected of him.
Against his former team, the 10-time All-Star looked almost unrecognizable. He finished with 11 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals while shooting 3-17 from the floor. In Harden’s 29 minutes on the court, the Philadelphia 76ers were outscored by 30 points. Harden and the 76ers were completely outplayed in the game, while the final score of 129-100 did not reflect it.
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