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We’ve already talked about the lack of explosiveness from James Harden.
But maybe folks have been overly critical of the 2018 NBA MVP of late. During Philadelphia’s recent Game 4 win over Miami, he showed us why. He scored 31 points while adding 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Harden was also 6-for-10 from 3-point range, which was encouraging.
It was a welcome change of pace for Harden, especially as his poor play had become the subject of almost every snobby basketball podcast.
Harden isn’t currently the scorer he once was, but he maintained enough self-awareness to play deferential basketball during his scoring slump. He wasn’t out there chucking up 30 shots per game. Instead, he enabled teammates like Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey to cook.
"James Harden hasn't attempted 20 shots, he has to shoot more."
Hmm…wonder why… pic.twitter.com/A6jAAkpKok
— Half Court Hoops (@HalfCourtHoops) May 6, 2022
Look at all of the attention that Harden draws from Miami’s defense. This gives Philadelphia phenomenal spacing, and many of his teammates are wide open on the perimeter because the Heat remain laser-focused on The Beard.
Harris and Maxey are playing some of the best hoops of their lives right now, and it’s not a coincidence that they’ve taken a step forward playing alongside Harden. The 32-year-old Harden was literally an MVP candidate last year, and his ball-handling, playmaking, and game management are still elite.
Philly is outscoring opponents by 8.3 points per 100 possessions when Harden is on the floor, and they’re getting outscored by 4.8 per 100 during minutes when he isn’t.
I’m not saying he is the player he once was, but the Sixers will have to keep this all in mind when they enter contract negotiation with him this offseason. Maybe they should consider his career arc more like a late-stage playmaking point guard rather than a burnt-out former scoring champ.
The Tip-Off
It’s not playoff basketball without a little bit of complaining about the officials, and that’s exactly what our own Andy Nesbitt has done:
“Hey NBA refs, I’m not sure if you know this or not but we are now in the playoffs and you need to start acting like it and stop calling such lame technical fouls that could have big impacts on these games.
The latest two examples of this came in last night’s thrilling Celtics-Bucks Game 4 in Milwaukee that Boston won, 116-108, to even the series at 2-2.
The second half of the game was what playoff basketball is all about – guys hitting the floor on almost every possession, battling for balls and buckets and giving everything they had to try to get a W.
And then there were the refs with their little whistles trying to screw things up.”
If you’re like Andy and you’re frustrated about the calls in these games, especially all the technical foul calls, reading this may help you a bit.
One to Watch
Suns (-6.5, -290) vs. Mavericks (+225), O/U 214.5, 7:30 PM ET
(All odds via Tipico.)
The last time we saw this series, we saw Chris Paul get into early foul trouble, which led to him ultimately fouling out of the game.
We’re not going to see that happen two games in a row, though. I’ve enjoyed this series, especially what I’ve seen from Mavericks’ Dorian Finney-Smith. The 29-year-old forward has become one of the most underrated players in the league, and his contributions are essential to anything that Dallas will accomplish this postseason.
Who’s in and out?
— Heat: Kyle Lowry (hamstring) is out against the 76ers; Gabe Vincent (knee), Max Strus (hamstring), Caleb Martin (ankle), Tyler Herro (ankle), PJ Tucker (calf), Dewyane Desmon (illness) are all questionable tonight
— Suns: Torrey Craig (elbow) is probable vs. the Mavs tonight
— Celtics: Robert Williams (knee) is questionable against the Bucks on Wednesday
— Bucks: Serge Ibaka (illness) is questionable against the Celtics on Wednesday
Shootaround
— ‘Wine Mom’ became a hilarious meme during the Warriors’ Game 4 win
— The Sixers fan caught snoozing explains what led to the viral moment
— The NBA has an officiating problem, writes Celtics Wire’s Justin Quinn, and it’s more complex than you think
— Draft prospect Ryan Turell tells HoopsHype that being the first Orthodox Jew to play in the NBA would be a ‘dream come true‘
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