According to NBA insider Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Doc Rivers “lit into” James Harden after the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Houston Rockets on December 5, 2022. Rivers was upset that Harden took the final three shots in regulation of a double-overtime loss.
“In mid-December, Rivers lit into Harden for taking the final three shots in regulation of a double-overtime loss to the young and lottery-bound-again Rockets, sources said,” Shelburne wrote in her latest NBA column. “It wasn’t that Rivers didn’t trust Harden to take the final three shots — he had allowed him to run the offense and call his own number on the final play of regulation by not calling a timeout following a defensive rebound. It’s that the Rockets had no answer for Embiid (39 points) all night and Harden wasn’t shooting well (4-for-19).
“When questioned in the film session, Harden demurred, saying he just couldn’t get the ball to Embiid, sources said. These flare-ups between Harden and Rivers continued throughout the season.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Doc Rivers, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
Harden and Rivers didn’t have a good relationship. The Sixers fired Rivers after the 2023 NBA playoffs ended because the team knew Harden did not want to play for Rivers again. Rivers told Bill Simmons of The Ringer that it was “challenging” coaching Harden last season after getting fired.
The Sixers hired Nick Nurse to replace Rivers. Nurse and Harden met in Houston in June and the meeting went well. However, Harden requested a trade from the Sixers since he didn’t receive a max contract offer from Daryl Morey. The former NBA MVP intends to never play for Philadelphia again and wants to get traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Doc Rivers, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
The Sixers agreed to search out a trade upon Harden’s request after the talented guard picked up his $35.6 million player option for next season in June. However, Philadelphia’s asking price for Harden was steep and no teams were willing or able to meet it. Harden is angry at Morey for not trading him quickly after requesting his trade.
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