Harden got back to his best and what was great to see was his step-back 3’s that made him a feared shooter in Houston. Harden scored 31 points and had 7 rebounds and 9 assists.
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James Harden finally showed up and made the world take notice when he helped the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat and draw the Eastern Conference semifinals 2-2. Harden was having a hard time living up to the lofty expectations after his move to Philly from Brooklyn but he came alive in this game and Stephen A. Smith has stated that if he continues to play like this, then Miami Heat are in trouble. Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, Smith said, “It meant everything for the Philadelphia 76ers because he gave you hope. If that’s the James Harden we are going to see for the rest of the series along with Joel Embiid, then the Miami Heat are in a world of trouble.
“I’ve got the Miami Heat winning this series at 7 games, I had them at 5 if Embiid didn’t play, obviously he has played, so I am thinking this will go seven games. James Harden gives you the opportunity to win this series and advance to the Eastern Conference finals. It’s that simple. When you saw what he did last night, he was looking for his shots. He was aggressive. He was getting by defenders but more importantly, he was drilling those threes, we grew accustomed to seeing from him while he was in Houston. That is the vintage James Harden we have all been looking for. We had some serious questions about whether or not that dude any longer existed. We shouldn’t have those questions now”, said Smith.
Read more: “If Embiid doesn’t come back for Game 3, then it is over” – Stephen A. Smith
The game featured James Harden getting back to his best and what was great to see was his step-back 3’s that made him a feared shooter in Houston. Harden scored 31 points and had 7 rebounds and 9 assists whereas his teammate Joel Embiid had 24 points with 11 rebounds. After the game, Embiid gave an ominous warning to the league and said, “I don’t think we’ve played our best basketball. The Heat won the first two games in Miami with Embiid out with a right orbital fracture and a mild concussion. The 76ers won Games 3 and 4 at home with Embiid and his mask in the lineup. Sixers coach, Doc Rivers said that it was business as usual for James Harden and that he sensed it could be a big night for him. He said, “It’s just James being James. I felt like he was going to have a big game tonight. You can just sense it.”
