On May 3, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs Heat played out against the 76ers G1. Throughout the game, Harden shot 5 of 13, 2 of 7 three-pointers, 4 of 4 free throws, had 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, scored 4 points in the second half, and did not score a point in the last quarter. Rocket Harden failed to reappear, and pulling the crotch again caused a heated discussion.
Without Embiid, the US media predicted before the game that Harden would become his Rockets self before he could lead the team to steal the victory in Miami.
How strong was Harden in the Playoffs during the Rockets? He averaged 28.4 points and 7.1 assists and 11.1 shots per game. This season at the 76ers, in the first round of the series, he averaged 19 points and 10.2 assists per game and 7.5 shots per game.
Clearly, without Embiid, Harden needs to be more aggressive. As soon as the game came, the 76ers were hit by the Heat in a wave of 18-6, and Harden recruited a three-point shot to set off a 76ers counterattack, a wave of 9-0 bites the score.
At the end of the first half, Harden made 4 of 9 and had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. In the final moments of the half, it was he who broke through the layup, crushed Oladipo to advance, helped the 76ers to surpass one point and enter the second half. After hitting this goal, Harden also roared at the sky.
However, back in the second half, Harden was invisible on the offensive end. At the end of the third quarter, he had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, in this case, it is difficult to lead the team to win.
With 4:40 left in the fourth quarter, Harden was replaced, and by this time, the 76ers were already 20 points behind. At this point, Harden did not score a single point in the fourth quarter.
Fans did not wait for Rocket Harden to reappear, and Harden's crotch performance in the second half once again caused heated discussion, fans complained that he had passed, went downhill, and Rocket Harden could not come back.