As the Philadelphia 76ers were preparing for their second-round series, a video of star guard James Harden in Las Vegas went viral. The Sixers had time off and did not know their opponent, so Harden went and enjoyed some time off.
Of course, the internet didn’t like that, and everybody on Twitter had their own opinions on the matter and why it was or wasn’t wrong.
Coach Doc Rivers talked with Steve Bulpett of Heavy Sports and he gave his opinion on the matter:
“It’s funny,” he said. “James called me before he went, and I was like, ‘So what? Do it.’ Dennis Rodman went to Vegas. They asked me about it, and I said, ‘We had three days off.’ I told them to do whatever they want. He’s a grown man. I didn’t care.
Harden then went and dropped 45 points to lead the Sixers to an important Game 1 win over the Boston Celtics. He shot 17-for-30 and he drilled the go-ahead triple over Al Horford to lift Philadelphia to the win.
As Rivers mentioned, Harden is a grown man and the Sixers had a day off. He can go to Vegas and decompress if he wants to. The Sixers had some extra time considering they swept the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. He earned some time to go relax.
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