James Harden has been 76ers’ bellwether vs. Celtics, and his aggression could decide the series

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PHILADELPHIA — Through the first four games of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics, one thing has held true. When James Harden has played well, the Sixers have walked away with wins, and when he hasn’t, they haven’t. 

In the first game of the series without NBA MVP Joel Embiid, Harden tied a playoff career high with 45 points and almost singlehandedly propelled the Sixers to a 119-115 victory. It was an invigorating performance that showed he’s still capable of scoring at an elite level. But, he followed that masterclass up with two consecutive subpar performances. In Games 2 and 3, Harden shot just 5 of 28 combined from the floor and scored 28 total points. Philadelphia dropped both of those games by a combined 46 points.

Then, in Game 4 on Sunday afternoon, with the Sixers down 2-1 in the series and facing ample pressure — both collectively and individually — Harden turned in another epic performance. He scored 42 points to go along with nine assists and eight rebounds. He also got after it on the defensive end, as evidenced by his four steals, all of which came at opportune times for Philadelphia. He made clutch play after clutch play for the Sixers, and he was the main catalyst for their thrilling 116-115 overtime victory that evened the series up at two games apiece. 

Harden’s point production in Game 4 included the game-tying floater that sent the game into overtime, as well as the game-winning 3-pointer from the corner in overtime after the Celtics left him open in order to double team Joel Embiid in the paint. 

Harden’s complete dominance in the first and fourth games of the series make his lackadaisical performances in Games 2 and 3 all the more confounding. The shots aren’t always going to fall, but both of those performances were highlighted by a general lack of aggression on Harden’s part. He took more shots in both Game 1 and Game 4 than he did in the second and third games combined. 

When asked about the variance in his performance in the series after Game…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/james-harden-has-been-76ers-bellwether-vs-celtics-and-his-aggression-could-decide-the-series/

Author : Michael Kaskey-Blomain

Publish date : 2023-05-08 23:28:56

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