Harden, who played in the team's home game as a 76er for the first time, contributed 26 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, leading the 76ers to a 123-108 comeback victory over the Knicks.
Over the past two seasons, the 76ers have always been able to play well at their home court. Especially in the 2019-20 season, they only lost 4 games at home, ranking first in the league in terms of home win rate. However, the 76ers' home record this season has not been so satisfactory, with only 19-13 at home before this game against the Knicks, including a 48-point defeat with their old rivals, the Celtics.
However, this match with the Knicks is seen by many as a turning point in the 76ers' home record. Harden, who played in the team's home game for the first time as a 76ers player, contributed 26 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, leading the 76ers to successfully reverse the opponent. As Harden left the court before the end of the game, Philadelphia fans erupted into thunderous applause. "This game is like a movie, like a movie with all the elements I'm looking forward to," Harden said.
Before the All-Star, Harden had stepped into the team's home arena as a 76ers player. However, at that time, he was still hanging up the exemption card due to injury. Sitting on the team's bench, Beard witnessed a massacre outright. The Celtics beat the 76ers 135-87, setting a new record for the biggest point difference in the history of the two teams.
Now, Harden can finally put on the team. In the previous two games against the Timberwolves and Knicks, he has scored a total of 56 points, 18 rebounds and 28 assists on the road, leading the team to a wave of two consecutive wins. Returning to Philadelphia this time, Harden continued his highlights, eventually scoring 26 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, leading the team to continue the winning streak.
"It's exciting for me to finally be able to play in front of the home fans, and the 76ers fans are probably the best fans in the world. I'm very happy that this time I play as a home team player and not on the opposite side of the fans as before. Harden said, "In the fanatical atmosphere created by the fans, we wanted to win the game with offense from the beginning, but the first half was not very good, and the game was a bit tight. In the second half we showed good energy, which allowed us to fill the 16-point trail pit dug by lack of energy in the first half and win the game. ”
The game coincided with the 60th anniversary of Chamberlain's single 100-point game, and Philadelphia officials called the game "Chamberlain Night". Although Harden did not face the Knicks and cut 100 points like the coach of the year, his performance on the offensive end was also quite gold. Especially in the first half of the game, the 76ers' overall defense was not outstanding, and Embiid gave the Knicks a lot of mid-range opportunities under the basket. In addition, embiid on the offensive end was also heavily guarded by the opponent after the blocking, and it was Harden who stepped forward to help the team maintain the point difference.
He cut 19 of his all 26 points in the first half, and after blocking Embiid, the Knicks will have defenders on the weak side to assist Embiid, so he gave Harden one more shot and one chance, and the beard took it all, which was 7 of 6 in the three-second zone, and walked to the free throw line 10 times, making the opponent pay for the bag Embiid.
"Harden and I are smart players, we just focus on the games on the court, just on our team. Now, the cooperation between us is very good. Embiid said.
In the previous two games, Harden has been tightly guarded in terms of personal offense, but his total number of assists has reached 26. Today, Harden turned on the scoring mode in the first half, the Knicks adjusted their defensive strategy in the second half, and Harden turned on the assist mode again. At the end of the game, he once again contributed a quasi-triple-double of 26 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, and the beard was in his most comfortable rhythm.
In the last game against the Knicks, Embiid scored 37 points and 9 rebounds, and he stood on the free throw line 27 times, leaving the opponent's two interior lines Mitchell Robinson and Sims both foul. So in this game, the Knicks increased their defense of Embiid after the block. However, the 76ers are no longer the 76ers before the trade deadline, and Harden can stand up and share embiid's worries.
In the second half, when the Knicks blocked and put more defensive focus on Harden, Embiid naturally had more opportunities. The connection between him and Harden made the Knicks invincible. The first goal of the second half was a change of defense after Harden Embiid blocked, and Harden found Embiid on the inside. Later, embiid bounced off after blocking harden, and Beard immediately found his teammate in the empty position.
Embiid went low and went high in this game, eventually contributing 27 points and 12 rebounds. Just after the deal was reached, many people worried that he and Harden could not form too good chemistry. Now it turns out that Embiid and Harden's blocking and dismantling cooperation has not only become the 76ers' offensive killer, but both of them have also enjoyed it.
Embiid said, "The two of us are a good fit to be together. Everybody wants to have someone like Harden with scoring ability and passing ability around, and he's really great. ”
On the other hand, Embiid's arrival is not the only one who benefits. Originally, there was widespread concern that Maxi might be a little lost because of Harden's joining. However, in the past three games, Maxi has scored 20+ points per game, scoring at least 20 points in three consecutive games for the first time in his career, and the shooting rate is also as high as 64.3%.
In fact, from the data level, Harden's round share is not particularly high, he sacrificed part of the ball, so that Maxi can continue to play his familiar role. When the opponent's defensive focus is focused on Harden and Embiid, Maxi can naturally get more offensive space. Especially in the transition offensive phase, Harden's quick ball allows Maxy to play his speed advantage. Since Beard joined, the sophomore has become one of the league's most converted offense scores. Embiid, Harden and Maxi have averaged nearly 85 points per game in the past three games, making them the new big three in the East.
In the final moments against the Knicks, Harden stood on the free throw line and helped the 76ers seal the victory with two free throws. Shortly after that, Harden was replaced by head coach Rivers, and 76ers home fans stood up to cheer on the beard. Since Harden joined, the 76ers have won a three-game winning streak. But that seems to be just the beginning, as Embiid has said before: "When we're together, every second is a moment of horror." ”
Wen | Ji Mengnian
Edit | from the heart