37-23, after getting James Harden in a trade, the 76ers have won three games in a row, plus one win from the previous 76ers, and the 76ers are currently three straight wins and 3rd in the East. The 76ers are only 1.5 wins away from the Bulls, the second-placed Bulls in the East, and even compared to the Miami Heat, the no. 1 in the East, the 76ers are only 2.5 wins away.
Look at the strong momentum of the 76ers after Harden, after getting Harden, not only did embiid completely activate, but even the other players of the 76ers were also revitalized by Harden. In the game against the New York Knicks, not only Harden bombed a triple-double of 29 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds, But Embiid also contributed 37 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Looking at the other role players, guard Teres Maxi contributed 21 points with just 14 shots, in addition to 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, without a single turnover.
The recent underperforming forward Harris contributed 12 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in this game, and the plus-minus value was as high as +25. Of course, the first credit of the 76 team also depends on the new signing James Harden. In harden's two games with the 76ers, he grossed 56 points, 18 rebounds, 28 assists, and five steals. Harden shot 8-of-14 three-pointers in both games, 15-of-26 from the field and 18-of-19 from the free throw line.
It can be said that if Harden had joined the 76ers earlier, he would have been in the top 3 of the NBA's MVP list this season. The 76ers have become the most powerful team in the entire league, but Harden is still not satisfied. Harden was also happily interviewed after the Knicks, and he said it was his second win with the 76ers when talking about the game. "We still have a long way to go, we're far from the ceiling yet, but I like the way forward now, especially on the defensive end. Defense is something we live on, and if we can defend well, the offense will be easy. Harden said.
Not much to say, but the amount of information Harden revealed is really not small. First, in Harden's view, he and the 76ers have not done their best at all, because Harden said that the current 2 beautiful wins, although gratifying, are far from reaching the "upper limit" of the 76ers' performance. In other words, the 76ers would have been tougher if possible. Second, Harden also deliberately emphasized the role of defense, the reason why the 76ers have a strong firepower performance, all depends on the defensive end, if the defense is not strong, the 76ers offense is definitely not so good. After suppressing the opposing offense, the 76ers were able to devote all their energy to the defensive end.
As the new commander on the Philadelphia 76ers, Harden not only "liberated" Embiid, but also made other teammates better. Harden's contribution in two games was not only super points, but also his performance on the defensive end. Harden took the initiative to defend, and the other players of the 76ers naturally did not dare to take it lightly on the defensive end, which is the core role.