The Philadelphia 76ers were locked in a tight battle with the rival New York Knicks on Tuesday at home and they needed somebody to step up and make a play. With Joel Embiid out, they needed somebody to take over down the stretch and that guy turned out to be Tobias Harris.
With the game tied at 92, Sixers forward made two clutch buckets to give Philadelphia the lead for good and after the second one, he showed off a ton of emotion. He marched back toward the bench and he appeared to mouth the words “I’m an All-Star” to the rowdy fans at the Wells Fargo Center as he continued to show off why he should have been named one.
“That’s for sure what I said and for me, that’s just reaffirming that to myself,” said Harris. “I know the fans know that, but reaffirming that to them and to myself especially making those big plays. I try to just find motivation in different areas. That’s one of them.”
🗣️ "I'M AN ALL-STAR"
💀💀💀 #bountyball pic.twitter.com/SyAQsPEk9F
— brianseltzer (@brianseltzer) March 17, 2021
Harris finished with 30 points and six rebounds in the 99-96 win over the Knicks as he continued to make big plays down the stretch in order to help the Sixers win games without Embiid. His play continues to show that he should have been named an All-Star with his strong play.
“He was pissed off and he should’ve been an All-Star,” said Ben Simmons. “I think people just take for granted how talented he is. If he was on a different team, he’s going to be putting up those numbers, it’s clear he’s able to do that. Obviously, it went the way it went, but he is. To us, he’s an All-Star. He’s one of those guys who can get it done and go get a bucket, he’s a big-time player.”
Coach Doc Rivers spent the weekend in Atlanta as he was the coach of Team Durant in the game. He was campaigning for Harris to make the game to other coaches, but unfortunately, he was not named one. It is clear that Harris is using it as fuel right now.
“I’m sure it fuels him,” said Rivers. “He is an All-Star, in my opinion, and that’s not a slight. I think whenever someone says that, they mean someone else isn’t. Everyone’s deserving who was on it, but Tobias is one as well. I think Tobias wants to win more, but I still think he thinks that should have been on the All-Star team and I agree with that.”
Harris and the Sixers now have a tough matchup on Wednesday when they welcome Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks into Philadelphia.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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