Sixers star guard James Harden opens up about his approach versus the Heat as they gear up to face Jimmy Butler and Co without their superstar big man in Joel Embiid.
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The Philadelphia 76ers face off against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, in what is expected to be a marquee matchup. However, the Sixers will be without their MVP big man Joel Embiid. The 5x All-Star suffered an orbital fracture and a concussion following an elbow to the face from Raptors forward Pascal Siakam.
As per the latest updates, Embiid will miss the first two matchups of the series with his status beyond that still up in the air. As a result, the spotlight turns onto their 10x All-star, James Harden. Coming into the post-season, he was under the most pressure to perform well following his previous playoff choke jobs. Now, following an injury to their star man, the pressure has only doubled.
Despite all the pressure, Harden seemed to be unfazed and opened up about his approach against the Heat. So, what exactly did he say? Read on to find out…
James Harden reveals mentality ahead of series against the Miami Heat.
Following his trade to the Sixers mid-season, the pressure was at an all-time high on James Harden. In the first series as part of the 76ers against the Raptors, the Beard was hot and cold for the most part, averaging 19.1 points and 10.2 assists to beat the Raptors in six games. However, now with Embiid out, Harden will have to take on a bit more load, when it comes to scoring.
In fact, the former MVP echoed the same ahead of the game against Miami. He goes on to say –
[I just have to] be more aggressive, I’ve been doing this — I’m comfortable and have been doing this for a long time. Just taking what the defense gives me and being aggressive, and making the right decision once I get to that point. More floor spacing and more attacks to the basket. We just have to play free — free and with the ultimate confidence as a group.
However, Harden doesn’t want to turn into an aggressive scoring guard from minute 1 but wants to strike a balance between scoring and playmaking. He further explains –
“At this point, it’s just sacrificing to win out there. If I score 30 and lose, someone will say something. If I score 19 and win, someone will say something. I’m the ultimate team player. So now, Jo’s out, gotta be more aggressive and score the basketball and get to the basket and make hard decisions. It’s no different than what I’m used to.”
While that is all nice to hear, The Beard will certainly have to turn back the clock to his Houston Rockets’ days, where he was the primary scorer, and averaged 30+ quite effortlessly. Otherwise, the Sixers have no little to no chance against the Heat.
