Sixers guard James Harden among stars facing most pressure in playoffs
As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for this playoff run that begins Saturday against the Toronto Raptors, there appears to be a great deal of pressure on the team’s stars. That is just natural, but there is one star in particular who will receive a lot of attention.
James Harden, who is on his third team in two seasons, will have many eyes on him during this playoff run. He forced his way out of Houston and Brooklyn, and he hopes to have success with Joel Embiid and lead the Sixers on a deep playoff run with Daryl Morey as the team’s president.
In a list put together by USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt and Matt Eppers, Harden is facing the most pressure among the stars in the playoffs:
When the Sixers acquired Harden for Ben Simmons in a trade deadline deal, it was with the idea that Harden would help the Sixers win a title. While his averages in 21 games with the Sixers (14-7) have been fine (21 points, 10.5 assists, 7.1 rebounds per game), he shot just 40.2% from the field and 32.6% on 3-pointers. Harden’s playoff struggles are well documented, including a 2-for-13 3-point shooting performance against Golden State in Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference finals with the Rockets failing to capitalize on a 3-2 series lead. That was also the last time Harden reached the conference finals. There’s a lot riding on Harden’s performance.
The Sixers acquired Harden to help Embiid chase a title, and Harden wanted to go to Philadelphia to make that goal happen. This is his opportunity to get it done.
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