The Philadelphia 76ers were 9.5-point underdogs before tip-off on Monday.
They won by four points.
None of that would’ve been possible without James Harden’s throwback performance, but the Beard wasn’t ready to celebrate after the win.
He wanted to let the rest of the guys know that it’s just one game, so the job is far from done yet.
“It’s 1 game, bro. It’s 1 game.”
James Harden knows the job isn’t finished 😤pic.twitter.com/T33fMshqjU
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 2, 2023
Most insiders have favored the Boston Celtics to come out of the Eastern Conference, even though the Milwaukee Bucks had the best record in the league.
So, Joe Mazzulla’s team is more than capable of coming back from this and re-gaining home-court advantage if they are more disciplined on the defensive end of the floor.
Harden led by example and proved to his doubters that he could still have a vintage performance every now and then, so rival defenses should still focus on him as they used to do back in the day.
The Sixers needed someone who could carry the load without Joel Embiid, and Harden surely lived up to that big contract of his with that performance.
Harden is one of the greatest scorers this game has ever seen, and there’s no doubt that he could single-handedly will a team to a win or two.
But the Sixers will need their MVP back on the floor as soon as possible if they want to keep this momentum going and make a statement against the Celtics, as the East looks wide open now that Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are no longer in contention.
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Fans React To James Harden’s Big Performance Monday
