Facing the Miami Heat, who topped the Eastern Conference in the regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers were in a bitter battle from the start, and the Philadelphia 76ers soon fell behind 2-0 in the second round of the East due to Joel Embiid's absence due to injury and James Harden's poor defensive state. But Joel Embiid's return to the line of fire allowed the Philadelphia 76ers to quickly find their feelings, and the pressure on James Harden was greatly reduced, and the 76ers used home advantage to connect two cities in a row and successfully equalize the series aggregate.
For the 76ers, in addition to winning and bringing the series back to the same running line, James Harden's recovery in form may be even more gratifying for them. In this game, James Harden was in full swing, shooting 8 of 18 in 41 minutes, including 6 three-pointers, plus 9 of 10 from the free throw line, James Harden was quite efficient in cutting 31 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, and the plus-minus of +8 was second only to backcourt partner Teres Maxi, the second highest of all players on both teams. This James Harden score is his highest score in the playoffs this season, he has never scored more than 22 points before, and apart from 6 turnovers, this james Harden really can't fault anything.
Since the hamstring injury, James Harden seems to have lost the explosive power of the past scoring, and the outside world has almost forgotten that he has won the league's scoring champion for three consecutive years, and in terms of personal offensive ability alone, he is undoubtedly the only existence in the league. Although he has never been related to the championship, during the Rockets, James Harden is no different from a real lone hero, the 17-18 season the Rockets are only one step away from breaking through from the West, but unfortunately Chris Paul in the Western Conference Battle of The King Mountain hamstring, his early reimbursement makes the Warriors desperate, and the Rockets are losing two consecutive Finals, missing the best chance to win the championship. In the two seasons since then, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, as James Harden's backcourt partner, have experienced significant declines in their respective states, and the Rockets are gradually drifting away from the championship.
Before the start of last season, the Rockets exchanged Russell Westbrook for John Wall, but James Harden obviously couldn't wait, and he made it clear that he wanted to leave shortly after the start of the new season, the Rockets management was forced to release people, and James Harden came to the Nets. After joining the new owners, James Harden formed a big three with Kelly Irving and Durant, and at first they had a honeymoon period, but soon all three were affected by injuries. Especially in last season's playoffs, James Harden and Kelly Irving were injured, the latter directly reimbursed, and James Harden was forced to play with an injury, but his state was obviously affected, and the Nets also lost to the final champion Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the East.
In the first half of the season, the Nets had a smooth ride, and as a result, Kelly Irving insisted on working against the league, and since then Durant has also been absent for a long time due to injury, the Nets' record has begun to decline, but the outside world has pushed the responsibility on James Harden alone, and his relationship with the Nets has broken down, and he came to the 76ers in the final moments of the deadline. But to be fair, with age and injury accumulation, James Harden is really not as comfortable in his personal offense as he used to be. But the so-called skinny camel is bigger than The horse, if because James Harden's state has declined slightly compared with the past, it is necessary to look down on him, it is bound to suffer. Especially now that Joel Embiid has returned, it is equivalent to James Harden playing the role of the second boss, and the defensive pressure is not as great as in the past, and it is easier to play a good performance.
In addition to James Harden's personal recovery, another piece of good news for the 76ers may be that Danny Green, who has been in the doldrums for a long time, has finally made a positive contribution. In the first two games in Miami, Danny Green showed little, but back at home in Philadelphia, the veteran finally gave his strength. Danny Green became the team's wizard in the last game, shooting 7-of-9 from beyond the three-point line and efficiently cutting 21 points and 4 rebounds. And danny Green continued to be brave in this game, he shot 4 of 6, including 3 three-pointers, cut 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals, proving that the last game was not just eating dumplings. Of course, part of the reason why Danny Green can be activated is also because James Harden attracts the attention of the opponent's defense, allowing Danny Green to get a large number of empty shooting opportunities, which has achieved a series of good effects.
For the 76ers, two consecutive wins are not only as simple as equalizing the total score, but also the morale of the 76ers team is also very high. As long as Joel Embiid was on the floor, the Heat's interior players simply couldn't compete with him, which was clearly the 76ers' biggest advantage. So the most critical question now is whether James Harden can continue this excellent performance, but as long as he can be a quality second boss and give Joel Embiid enough support, the 76ers in this series will win more.