Before the series with the Heat began, Harden gave an interview and answered a question that had not been a problem for him at all.
"Why can't you score 30+?"
This is not a deliberate attempt by the reporter to find fault, but the data proves that this is indeed the case. Since entering February 2022, Harden has played a total of 29 games in the regular season plus the playoffs, and only one 30+, which is incredible in the Rockets era, but now it is really happening. Is Harden unable to go back to the past, and 30 points has become a difficult threshold for him to cross?
"In my opinion, controlling the offense is not only about scoring, Harden can't get 30 points, not the same him as before, these statements are obviously not true." Harden said, "We have an MVP who can average 30+ per game, and there are good players like Harris and Maxi, and we rely on the team. ”
Harden also has some truth in this statement, when you cooperate with the season scoring king, you really don't need to slash and take over the attack, do a good job of tandem teammates, and have the opportunity to single a few is enough, Harden is how to play.
However, Embiid was injured, the 76ers hit the first place in the East in the regular season, the Heat with the league's top defensive system, their fault tolerance rate is very low, and they urgently need Harden to give the giant planet of the Rockets, take out the strong solution of single-handedly attacking the opponent's defense line, the game is not a single game, but when the big boss hangs up the exemption card, the second boss does not come forward, does the 76ers still have a way to live?
The first collision with the Heat, Harden played some of the former domineering feelings in the half, two quarters of 9 shots 4 three-pointers 5 of 2 to get 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, can not be said to be a big explosion, but at least in the personal break and lead teammates two aspects of the switch smoothly, the 76ers reversed the first quarter once behind 14 points of adversity, at the end of the half to surpass 1 point.
Very good first half, then, there was no then.
Harden went into a "vanishing" state in the second half, shooting 1-of-4 from 4 of 2 in the two quarters and scoring only 4 points, including a fourth-quarter score that swallowed zero. The Heat won the 76ers by 15 points in the second half, with a maximum point difference of 21 points, and the game was spent.
5 of 13 shots, 2 of 7 three-pointers, 16 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 turnovers, this time not on the 30s, but 20. Playing seven games in the playoffs this season, Harden has had four games under 20 points, what the hell is wrong with him?
We look at Harden's few sports goals in this game, maybe you can find the answer, this is a three-point, a layup, basically can present the Heat anti-Harden thinking, they easily do not pack, but the main change of defense, the 76ers cover a defender, there is another to change the opposite Harden, always keep Harden and the basket someone set up obstacles. The Heat are the best team in the league to play defensively, and they defended Trae Young to "autism" in the first round, and this time it was Harden's turn to experience it.
If it is Harden in the Rockets period, this change of defense is by no means insoluble, because the change of defense will form a large number of singles opportunities, Harden burst into either directly attack the basket, or create a foul, always have something to gain, suddenly can not retreat from the outside line, the same is or throw or create a foul double threat.
Harden coped with it in the first half of this game, and there were some wins, but in the second half, his one-on-one tackle failed, and the crux of the matter was mainly the two things that plagued Harden throughout the season.
First, the league's blowing penalty scale has changed, and harden is difficult to get free throws as often as in the Rockets period, and only 4 free throws have been made in this game. Walking to the free throw line for Harden is not only a score increase, but also a rhythm adjustment, he used to feel bad, he would make a few fouls, pull back the offensive feeling, but the whistle of the referee and the Heat's very clever defense did not give Harden a chance.
The second is that Harden has not found the explosive power since the hamstring injury last season, and it is difficult to continue to break through the defense if the explosive force is not enough, especially as the game enters the second half of the physical strength began to decline, even Harden's most familiar single-head mode, it is more and more difficult to play, the Heat's change of defense system makes Harden have to pass one and have to come again, this kind of continuous sprint assault is a bit difficult for Harden now.
Rivers also thought of some ways, the 76ers played a small-ball lineup, using Harris or Niang to play center, as far as possible to open up the space, delay the Heat's change of defense. Rivers also adopted the tactics of Maxie's possession and Harden's no-ball walk, but Harden has a statistic in this season's playoffs that is very unfriendly to this style of play, he only shoots 25% of the ball, and Harden plays without the ball much worse than he does with the ball.
Harden's own state has problems, the Heat's defense has also created a lot of interference for him, continuous change of defense alignment makes it difficult for Harden to find the opportunity to shake off the defense to deal with the ball, the more he plays, the more impatient, so there is this kind of can not get rid of the defender, reckless cross the ball is broken.
Harden scored 5 goals and made 5 mistakes this time, so how to win with the 76ers, Harris scored 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting.
Of course, the 76ers' loss is not Harden's pot alone. Also missing a star, the 76ers without Embiid and the Heat without Lowry is a completely different situation, the Heat's lineup depth can make up for the lack of Lowry, and the thinness of the 76ers in the fifth position simply can't match the "Emperor" does not play the emergency needs.
Rivers rotated Jordan Jr., Millsap, Niang and Reed in the Fifth position, and the result was Jordan Jr. efficiency of -22, Millsap played 6 minutes and shot 0, Niang shot 0 of 7, Reed had 5 fouls in 13 minutes, and the four of them combined to score 8 points.
Without Embiid's interior line, unable to attack and defend, Adebayor easily took 24 points and 12 rebounds on 8-of-10 shooting like a vacation, with an efficiency value of +26, and the Heat grabbed 15 rebounds in the frontcourt and blasted 52 points in the box. The 76ers' three-pointers were 6 of 34 shots, and the Heat's 36 shots were not much better, but the Heat's killing of the interior and the control of rebounds still made the first half's balance of power in the second half turn into a blast.
Embiid, who has a fractured orbit and a slight concussion, will not be able to make a comeback until game three at the earliest, and if the 76ers are already 0-2 behind by then, it will be difficult to catch up, and if he can take a victory from Miami, the situation is completely different.
Whether the 76ers can win a game in Miami, the key is still Harden. Counting a simple math problem, Harden this 16 points, 76 people lost 14 points, if he takes 14 more points, advanced to the 30 points line, what will happen?
If you look at the historical data, Harden is still expected to come to a 30+, he is the third most active players in the playoffs 30+ games, but the historical data represents the past, the past and the present there is no direct causal relationship.
You know, the two players who rank first and second in the 30+ playoffs have already taken a holiday.