The Philadelphia 76ers breezed through their first-round NBA playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, sweeping their Atlantic Division rivals. Now, they will be taking on another division foe, the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The odds are certainly stacked against Philadelphia as it didn’t come out of that first-round series unscathed. All-Star center and potential MVP winner, Joel Embiid’s status is in doubt after he suffered a knee injury in Game 3 against Brooklyn.
What was originally reported as a knee sprain has been revealed to be much worse than a Grade 1 LCL injury. He has received PRP injections to try and speed up the healing process so that he can get out there with his teammates against the Celtics.
If Embiid is unable to suit up, the team will be relying more heavily on James Harden. The former MVP has taken a backseat to Embiid throughout the season, but it could be his time to shine against Boston.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers & Boston Celtics Updates
As the 76ers prepare for a tough series, Harden is preaching one thing to his team; sacrifice. That is the one word that Harden used consistently when talking about what it will take for the 76ers to reach their ultimate goal of winning a championship.
“I told myself this year, that it’s just, I’m all big on sacrifice,” said Harden, who finished Game 4 with 17 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. “Whether it’s the money or my role, just letting everything go and just sacrificing — and then seeing what it gives me.”
In the offseason, Harden took a pay cut, which enabled general manager Daryl Morey to upgrade the roster in the offseason. P.J. Tucker was signed in free agency, De’Anthony Melton was acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies in a trade and the team didn’t have to trade Tobias Harris to clear money to facilitate either of them.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers & Boston Celtics Updates
Sometimes that means being a facilitator, a role that Harden has thrived. He led the NBA with 10.7 assists per game and averaged 8.8 per game in the series against the Nets. But, he is still capable of filling up the basket when need be.
“Throughout the entire year,” Harden continued, “people expect me to be the scoring James Harden and the James Harden that goes out there and gets 40, 50 points. And then people talk: ‘Oh, you can’t win like that.’
“And then I’ll go out there and get 20 points and 11 assists. And it’s like, ‘Well, he’s not the old James Harden no more.'”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers & Boston Celtics Updates
To defeat the 76ers, especially without Embiid, the 76ers are likely going to need some of that scoring James Harden to come out in spurts. Embiid averaged an NBA-high 33.1 points per game during the regular season, taking 20.1 shot attempts and 11.7 free throws.
That is a lot of usage that could be up for grabs during the game. While Tyrese Maxey and Harris have seen a bigger uptick than Harden in the scoring department with Embiid sidelined, the 76ers are going to need the former MVP to get more aggressive in scoring the ball to keep up with the Celtics.
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