![]() The acquisition of Harden last season was supposed to get them there, and over the next two weeks he will have a chance to have the postseason moment he has spent years chasing - and the past 15 months sacrificing to get. ![]() It was another step forward for a team that hasn't made the NBA Finals since 2001 and hasn't won a championship since 1983. And with Embiid sidelined because of a sprained LCL in his right knee, it was Harden who led the way with 45 points, tying his career playoff high. Harden and the 76ers began a titanic Eastern Conference semifinal showdown against the Celtics on Monday with a statement Game 1 win. "And him sacrificing has to happen for that to take place." "And I know he knows at this age, and at this stage of his career, he could still probably do some of the stuff - a lot of stuff - he was doing before, but he needs somebody else like, another star, to make that happen. "With all the accomplishments he has, the only thing he has left is to win a championship," Tucker said. Harden's points, field goal attempts and free throw attempts per game in 2022-23 were all lower than they were in any season since joining the Rockets in 2012.Ĭould Harden, 33, have made those sacrifices during his peak with the Rockets? Within the 76ers' offense, Harden has often fallen back into a facilitator role, while MVP favorite Joel Embiid and young guard Tyrese Maxey fulfill Philadelphia's scoring duties. Tucker and Danuel House Jr., Harden's former teammates with the Houston Rockets. Last summer, Harden took less money to return to Philadelphia on a one-year, $33 million deal with a player option for a second year, a move that created enough salary cap room for the 76ers to sign P.J. And it's like, 'Well, he's not the old James Harden no more.'" "And then I'll go out there and get 20 points and 11 assists. And then people talk: 'Oh, you can't win like that.' "Throughout the entire year," he continued, "people expect me to be the scoring James Harden and the James Harden that goes out there and gets 40, 50 points. "Whether it's the money or my role, just letting everything go and just sacrificing - and then seeing what it gives me." "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. In his answer, Harden kept coming back to one word: sacrifice. What are your motivations for this season, besides winning a championship? ![]() NBA playoffs 2023: James Harden, the Philadelphia 76ers and a journey to change the narrativeĭURING THE POSTGAME news conference following Philadelphia's first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, a question was posed to 76ers guard James Harden. ![]() You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser ![]()
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