Semi-retired boxer Floyd Mayweather’s courtside presence perfectly illustrated the “styles make fights” element of this series. I was being aggressive, they was helping and for him, getting to the paint.
“Tyrese got it going, and we gotta make sure he gets shots. “It’s not all about scoring, it’s about doing the little things and making the right plays,” Harden said. Sometimes, getting out of the way is the most valuable thing someone can do.
#Quicksand youtube series#
Starting series hasn’t been the focus for Harden in most of his postseason failures it’s been how he finishes them.īut an underwhelming start would’ve been disastrous for someone with so much to play for. Harden had 14 assists against just one turnover and scored 22 points on 6-of-17 shooting. He didn’t necessarily break that streak, but Maxey and Harris nullified the need for Harden to be a 30-point scorer. Harden’s last 10 games looked ominous headed into Saturday: shooting just 37% from the field and 30% from 3-point range, averaging 19.6 points and 10.5 assists. Maxey hit five triples, and Harris was uber-efficient with 26 points on just 14 shots, hitting three triples of his own.Īfter four days of nearly training camp basics leading to the series opener, 76ers coach Doc Rivers said he pared down his playbook to accommodate Harden, so he could know and deliver upon all the secondary actions through the offense. “I’m not fast at all he is,” Harden said, without a hint of irony. Twenty-one of Maxey’s season-high 38 points (one off his career high from last season) came in the third quarter, two of which occurred when Harden delivered a gorgeous bounce pass from 40 feet on a rope to Maxey, resulting in a reverse layup. Harden gladly played a background role, aiding Maxey when the blur got out in the open floor or at the very least, not disruptive when Maxey got it going in the second half. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)ĭerisively nicknamed “The Dribbler” for his propensity to ground the game into dust, Harden turned into The Spectator when his teammate Maxey acted as if quicksand was underneath his feet - and the second-year guard managed to elude it. Philadelphia 76ers teammates Tyrese Maxey and James Harden talk during Game 1 of their first-round NBA playoffs series against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on April 16, 2022. The result of one game won’t change that, but the process could certainly aid in this team going further than expected. Those two guys - James, Joel, specifically - they put work in. “Every player has an idea of who they want to be and how they want to be on the floor. “There’s always pressure but the reality is, it’s just pressure from the outside,” Harris said. But the attention from Toronto and the crowd in general was squarely on them. The duo wasn’t first or second on the squad in terms of highest scorers, those honors belonging to Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris.
The 76ers took a 1-0 lead over the Raptors with a convincing 131-111 win, jumping on the unorthodox Raptors and playing with as much cohesion as they have since the early days of the Harden acquisition. That annoyance didn’t lead to two stars trying too hard or battling for a moment in the spotlight in the playoff opener Saturday, not allowing an anxious hometown crowd a moment to boo in fear of looming playoff disappointment. And Embiid has heard every piece of narrative spewed about matters concerning him and even the ones that have nothing to do with him. Harden scoffed at the notion of pressure being on him, citing 13 years of playoff experience, almost similar to the eye-rolling gif he made famous a few years ago.
Suffice to say, there’s more to lose than to gain for this duo even as many have predicted an upset of sorts, believing the wily Toronto Raptors would turn the Philadelphia 76ers into a stumbling, panicky bunch over the next two weeks. PHILADELPHIA - The MVP award feels a bit out of reach for Joel Embiid, and James Harden’s behavior the last few years won’t win him any popularity contests around the league.
0 kommentar(er)
