No one gave the Philadelphia 76ers much of a chance at beating the Boston Celtics in Game 1, but they did just that, thanks to James Harden exploding for 45 points.
He led the Sixers to a 119-115 win, but when he saw his teammates celebrating on the court afterward, Harden ordered them to stop and sent them to the locker room.
“It’s one game, bro. It’s one game,” Harden said.
Harden just looks locked in right now and he put in one of the finest performances of his postseason career. He shot 17-30 from the field and 7-14 from beyond the arc, which included the game-winner over Al Horford in the closing stages of the contest.
With Joel Embiid being on the sidelines, the Sixers seemed doomed, but Harden showed he is still capable of putting on spectacular scoring displays if the need arises. He also made it clear in his postgame press conference that the Sixers are getting a bit greedy.
“We’re coming in here to get Game 2 as well,” Harden said.
“We’re coming in here to get Game 2” as well
-James Harden told his teammates after the win,
“it’s just one game” pic.twitter.com/ywTOR6KFEt
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) May 2, 2023
Harden knows that the job is not finished by any means and that a win in Game 2 would be massive, especially if Embiid does return for Game 3. The Celtics will play with a sense of desperation on Wednesday, however, so it is going to take a big effort for the Sixers to go up 2-0.
James Harden Took A Shot At His Critics
It is safe to say few superstars have been criticized as much as Harden over the years and his failure to get the job done in the postseason is a big reason for it. He didn’t have a great series, scoring-wise, against the Brooklyn Nets in the first round either, averaging 17.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 8.8 APG, and 1.5 SPG. Colin Cowherd called him a glorified role player after Harden scored just 8 points in Game 2 and it is clear he has heard all the talk.
Following this 45-point explosion, he took a shot at his critics, stating that he gets criticized no matter what he does. Harden said that when he was having those big scoring nights in Houston, the critique was that you can’t win in the playoffs by playing that way, and now that he has taken on a lesser scoring load, it is said he just isn’t the same player anymore. He certainly does have a point and you can’t blame him for being frustrated about it.
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