James Harden led the 76ers to a Game 4 win over the Heat. Yet, Stephen A does not believe that he is back to his vintage self just yet.
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The Beard has been under a lot of criticism lately. He has not looked like himself for quite a while, specifically since he left Houston back in 2021.
The fact is, his numbers have dropped since the move. James Harden put on above-average performances with the Brooklyn Nets and continued to do the same with the Philadelphia 76ers.
As is always the case, criticism started pouring in. Many of Harden’s biggest critics pointed out how his scoring dropped from the height of 36 points per game to 21 points this season.
The criticism has poured in ever since the 2022 Playoffs began. Many people have also called out his poor performance in the previous playoffs.
Nevertheless, Harden retorted in style. The Beard scored a massive 31 points in the 76ers’ Game 4 win over the Miami Heat, tying the series 2-2 and taking it back to South Beach.
Despite his performance, Stephen A does not believe vintage James Harden is back
Harden put on a hell of a performance last night. Scoring 31 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and dishing the ball out 9 times helped guarantee at least another two more games for Philly.
However, despite his stellar performance, Stephen A Smith does not believe this to be a sign that vintage James Harden is back in action.
Stephen A claims that one game isn’t enough to convince him. He did concede though, that it was nice to know that MVP Harden is still there in Philadelphia and he wants to see more of it.
Vintage James Harden isn’t back just yet! pic.twitter.com/qQ33y7LMId
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 9, 2022
He certainly does make an interesting case, and it is hard to dispute the facts that Stephen A Smith has listed. Hopefully, we will continue to see Harden perform and prove his doubters wrong.