![]() Dillon Brooks did not want to switch off James Harden, who back screens for Tyrese Maxey on this play. The Sixers found success with a set called "V-Out." It worked. Memphis has an elite defense and they stifled the Sixers in the first half. This play was highlighted by Rich Hofmann of The Athletic, which was a huge possession: Their late-game execution - especially their half-court offense - left a lot to be desired over the years. ![]() But consider that these are the game the Sixers have seemingly always lost in years past. It’s hard to buy in when this team continues to lose in the second round. The Sixers shouldn’t have found themselves down 17 in the first place. There’s something special happening with these two players. (We won’t mention how that season ended for San Antonio.) The last time teammates won the scoring and assist title in the same season was 1981-82, when the Spurs’ George Gervin led the league in scoring and Johnny Moore led in assists. Harden is leading the league in assists per game (10.7) while Joel Embiid (33.0) narrowly trails Luka Doncic for the league scoring crown. They have a net rating of 9.0 when playing together, which drops to -5.21 when both players are sitting (which, let’s be honest, should never happen). ![]() Think about how great that duo has been this year. The drop isn’t as precipitous as when Embiid takes a breather or misses time, but still dramatic. They’ve jumped all the way up eighth, posting the fifth-best rating since Harden came back. 5, the Sixers were sitting at 17th in the NBA in offensive rating. Overall, the Sixers’ net rating is 6.6 when Harden is running the show.īefore Harden returned from a 14-game absence on Dec. That falls to 113.8 when he’s on the bench. The team posts a 119.9 offensive rating with Harden on the floor, per PBP Stats. It’s quite simple, really: when James Harden is on the floor, the Sixers’ offense hums. He also moved into 14th on the all-time scoring list.Ī night like Thursday is a reminder that Harden has already had a storied career, but is still writing his chapter with the Sixers. ![]() While maybe the performance was trumped slightly by the wildness of the Sixers’ 115-110 comeback win over the Grizzlies, Harden dropped 31 points while dishing out seven assists (a number that could’ve been much higher if the players not named Harden shot better than 35.2 percent). I’m just happy to be in the same conversation as him, and I’ve got a long way to go.” Obviously, we know how important AI was to this league and to the city of Philly, but (also) the culture, the game of basketball itself. And now, telling me things like that, it’s just like, I don’t know what to say. “Being in the NBA was a far-fetched dream. I don’t know, man,” Harden said when asked about passing Iverson. So, it seemed only fitting that The Beard would pass The Answer on the All-Time scoring list while wearing a Sixers uniform Thursday night. The impact was reminiscent of another guard that spent over a decade in the red, white and blue: Allen Iverson. Suddenly, the Sixers’ had a half-court offense after being devoid of one for most of the Ben Simmons era. He just met Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, and yet it looked they’d played together for a decade. Harden was electric in scoring 27 points and dishing out 12 assists in a blowout of the Timberwolves. It was a year ago to the day that James Harden made his Sixers debut. ![]()
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