"Unstoppable! What can you do with us? Defend me against him or against him? If you want to keep both of us at the same time, we have others. Matisse (Sable) cut the basket at any time, or we can pass the ball to the empty shooter. ”
That's what Joel Embiid had to say about him and Harden's super duo after the 76ers beat the Knicks on Feb. 28. In that game, Embiid scored 37 points on 23-of-27 free throws, harden delivered a large triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists, and the two superstars led the team to close their second consecutive victory since they worked together.
With stats and records at the base, Embiid is not boasting. And at about the same time he made the remarks, the major media and experts, represented by ESPN commentator Kendrick Perkins, were also singing the praises of the Philadelphia duo: "Although it is only two games, the blind can also see how terrible the combination of Embiid and Harden is for the rest of the league!" ”
Perkins became a big fan of the "Hardy" group from the first time the 76ers Nets trade was completed on the trade deadline, when he sent a tweet directly comparing Harden and Embiid to a replica of Kobe Bryant and O'Neal.
Harden made his Philadelphia debut in an away game against the Timberwolves on Feb. 26, playing the Bulls at home today, playing in a total of five games, and the 76ers have maintained a total victory in these 5 games. Even counting yesterday's loss to the Heat due to Harden's suspension, the 76ers' 100-game net wins in the past six games are second in the league, with fifth in offensive efficiency (120.4 points per 100 possessions) and sixth in defensive efficiency (109.0 points per 100 possessions).
And when Harden and Embiid were on the floor at the same time, the 76ers' 100-game goal difference was as high as 30.7 points!
Facing the fourth-place Bulls in the East today, the 76ers began to outpace the score in the second half of the first quarter, leading all the way until the end of the game, reaching a maximum lead of 17 points and finally winning 121-106. Embiid was like an O'Neal possession, slashing 43 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and three blocks, Harden also contributed a quasi-triple-double of 16 points, 8 rebounds and 14 assists, and tied Reggie Miller's three-point shooting record (currently tied for third). It seems that these two people do have a little "OK" meaning.
However, the key reason why the 76ers were able to beat the Bulls so easily today was that the opponent himself was out of the situation.
The Bulls have transformed this season, and in addition to DeRozan's MVP-level performances, it is also directly related to the team's other three important signings in the past year or so. Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso are the Bulls' defensive souls, both of whom have been sidelined for weeks with injuries, while Nikola Vucevic is the team's only reliable interior line, and the role of the pivot on the offensive end is irreplaceable, and today they are also watching because of a hamstring injury.
The three main players are absent, the Bulls offensive and defensive system almost all collapse, all relying on the personal ability of DeRozan and Lavin to fight against the menacing 76ers, of course, only to fight back, there is no way to fight back.
Therefore, this big victory against the Bulls, like the 76ers' "invincible" state since Harden joined, needs to be marked with a small question mark.
Take a closer look at the five consecutive wins that the Harden & Embiid combination has won so far, one of which is against the Timberwolves, two against the Knicks, and one against the Bulls today. The only thing really worth mentioning is the home reversal of the Cavaliers on March 5.
But even for knights, the recent situation has been very unsatisfactory. Before playing the 76ers, they had just lost back-to-back losses to the Timberwolves and Hornets, losing to the 76ers, their sixth in seven straight games. In that game, the 76ers once trailed by 21 points, and the big reversal showed their tenacity, but it also showed that they did not win easily.
Harden Embiid wants to truly become a replica OK, not to see how much they can "abuse dishes" in the regular season, but to see whether they can meet stronger and stronger in the playoffs when facing real championship opponents, and laugh to the end.
The Philadelphia duo is a bit similar to the original Lakers combination - their super centers have amazing dominance, ensuring the lower limit of the entire team. But to win the championship, it depends on whether their star defenders can raise the team's ceiling. Or to put it more bluntly: The key to the success of the 76ers is not Embiid, but whether Harden can become a deadly killer like Kobe Bryant.
Harden is undoubtedly a great player, three scoring kings, one assist king, six league ones, and a regular season MVP, which is enough to say it all. As he himself said: I have nothing more to prove in terms of personal honor. But as far as the "killer mentality" is concerned, Harden does need to clear up the doubts.
The weakness of the playoffs has always been a lingering label on Harden: he has 25 points in the regular season in his career, shooting 44.3% from the regular season, averaging only 23.3 points per game in the playoffs, and shooting only 42.8%. You could argue that the Rockets couldn't make it out of the West for years because they had bad luck meeting the Warriors, but Harden's personal playoff performance was significantly inferior to the regular season, and there was really no excuse for it.
In fact, Harden's "weakness at key moments" is not only reflected in the playoffs, but also in the fourth quarter of the regular season, his personal offensive efficiency is also significantly lower than his normal level.
This season, Harden averaged 5.3 points per game in the fourth quarter, ranking 31st in the league with just 39.3 percent shooting. Even if it goes back to the time when the Rockets won the league's scoring champion for three consecutive years, although his fourth-quarter scoring score can be among the best in the league, the shooting rate has been maintained at about 40%.
Comparison of fourth-quarter performances during the Harden Rockets era
Today's game, although Embiid's big game helped the 76ers establish a double-digit lead early, but at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Bulls still chased the gap to just 7 points under DeRozan's leadership. At the critical moment, Embiid was not on the court, Harden broke through twice and was covered, but thanks to Niang's consecutive three-point shooting, he was able to regain the stability.
With different era backgrounds, different lineup configurations, and different personal technical styles, we certainly can't ask Harden to play exactly like Kobe Bryant. Bryant is a natural killer, and Harden prefers to create opportunities for teammates after attracting defense. Of course, loving passing is not a bad thing, but as a superstar, sometimes this is also a double-edged sword, and the key lies in judging the situation and mastering the balance.
It's not hard to beat the Bulls without an untidy lineup, but if the 76ers want to rush out of the East under the siege of the Bucks and the Heat, get involved in the championship, and become a replica of "OK", Harden also needs to be more "hard".