The Philadelphia 76ers saw the return of Joel Embiid and James Harden’s declining performance in Games 2 and 3.
While Harden was great in Game 1, he struggled in the next two games, scoring barely 28 points.
This situation worries the Sixers as they will need both at their peak to have a chance against the Celtics.
That’s why Joel Embiid made sure to send a message to his teammates about the adjustments they should make to be more effective.
“I mean, you just talk to him and you keep telling him to keep shooting,” Embiid said. “Be aggressive. Can’t go too high, can’t go too low. Some nights you’re going to make a lot of other shots, a lot of tough shots, and some nights you’re not going to make them. So it’s going to affect the game.” It’s about finding other ways to
New ESPN story: After James Harden had his best playoff game ever with his career-worst two-game shooting stretch in Games 2 and 3, Joel Embiid had a simple message for him: Stay aggressive. “You keep telling him to keep shooting.” https://t.co/LBomjIYGqf
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 6, 2023
Harden put on a vintage show in Game 1 of the series, scoring 45 points to lead the Sixers to their first win of the series.
However, things have gotten worse for him and the Sixers, who are now down 1-2 against the Celtics.
Game 4 will be crucial in this series, as the Sixers cannot come back from a 3–1 deficit in Boston.
Philadelphia still has high hopes for this season, but without their game’s second best player, they will soon be out of the playoffs.
Harden is rumored to be interested in returning to the Houston Rockets and another early playoff exit could accelerate that process.
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James Harden’s Dangerous Status Since Game 1 Against The Celtics