On May 3, Beijing time, the second round of the playoffs G1, the 76ers lost to the Heat 92-106 away, and the big score was 0-1 behind the opponent. In this game, Embiid was absent due to injury, and Harden's performance became the focus of external attention. The result was not surprising, Harden once again performed crotch pulling, only 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in the game.
In fact, Harden's performance in the first half was OK. In the case of 1-of-5 in the first quarter, Harden picked up in the second quarter. Shooting 4-of-9 (2-of-5 from three-point range) and 2-of-2 from the free throw line, he had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. The 76ers also led the Heat by one point at halftime.
Entering the second half, the 76ers' offense suddenly muted, and Harden was completely limited by PJ Tucker. In the entire second half, Harden only shot 4 times, hit 1 goal, and got 4 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. In the whole game, Harden shot only 5 of 13, scored 16 points, made 5 turnovers, and had a plus-minus of -8. In the absence of Embiid, Harden only scored 16 points, apparently unable to lead the team to beat the Heat.
After the game, James Harden gave an interview to the media. Speaking about today's loss, he said: "We had some good shooting opportunities today, but we just couldn't shoot. I felt like I should have played more aggressively. ”
Coach Rivers also spoke about Harden's personal scoring after the game, saying: "It's not just about James personally, it's about everyone. James can have more individual points and we have to do better on the offensive end. ”
Since entering the playoffs, hardening has been questioned about harden's ability to score. Facing the Raptors in the first round of the series, Harden averaged only 19 points in 6 games. The outside world believes that Harden has lost his explosive power and speed, and is no longer the "Rocket Harden" who cut points like a numb. Facing the Heat in the second round, Harden played crotch pull again in G1, which was indeed a bit disappointing.