The 2021-22 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and today, all the teams that advance to the second round of the playoffs have been released, the Western promotion teams: Suns, Lone Rangers, Grizzlies, Warriors; Eastern Conference promotion teams: Heat, 76ers, Celtics, Bucks. Next up will be a divisional semifinals, with the Philadelphia 76ers facing the Miami Heat, who are no. 1 in the East in the regular season.
But not long ago, according to the famous Shams, Embiid suffered a fracture of the right eye orbit and a mild concussion, and is currently absent and the return date is undecided. In yesterday's game against the Raptors, Embiid was punched in the face by Siakam's elbow during a defensive play. The 76ers and the Heat's series G1 will kick off on May 3, Beijing time.
This is very unsatisfactory for the entire 76ers. Embiid, as the tactical core of the 76ers, missing the game is a very unsatisfactory thing for them. This means that facing the Heat's series, the 76ers can only rely on a lineup like James Harden + Maxie + Harris to meet the Heat. With Embiid's continued absence, if the 76ers want to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and go further in the playoffs, they need James Harden to play G6 form against the Raptors, even better than that.
The next round of the 76ers opponent is the Miami Heat, they should be the toughest team in the NBA, Butler and Tucker, Lowry and other stars are tough guys, once Embiid is absent, only rely on Harden to lead the team, even if Harden returns to rocket mode, it is difficult to lead the team to beat the Heat. However, Embiid may also play with injuries, but the odds are relatively small. He first needs to pass a concussion test, and even if he does, his orbital fracture will most likely require surgery. The 76ers and Heat games will start in 2 days, when harden is expected to lead the team to play.
In the regular season of the season, James Harden played 21 games for the 76ers, averaging 22.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 10.3 assists and 13 steals in 37.2 minutes per game, shooting 41.0%, 33.0% from three-point range, and shooting 87.7% from the free throw line, ranking 36th in the league in offensive efficiency. During the playoffs, Ha averaged 40.5 minutes, 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.2 blocks, 40.5 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from three-point range, and 86.0 percent from the free throw line, ranking 18th in the league in offensive efficiency.
Statistically, Harden's performance in the playoffs is not much different from the regular season stage, but Harden's task on the court is currently mainly responsible for organizing the team and handling the team's offense, and harden's responsibility is like this when Embiid can play. But in the next round of the series, Embiid is likely to miss the game, so Harden will need to stand up and open up the situation for the team.