BOSTON — The Philadelphia 76ers had their 2022-23 season end the same way it has for five of the previous six seasons: in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Sixers were ambushed by the Boston Celtics in the third quarter, when the Cs outscored them 33-10 and cruised to a 112-88 win in Game 7. This is the third consecutive semifinal exit for Philadelphia.
The Celtics received a Game 7 record 51 points out of Jayson Tatum as he showed up for Boston. Unfortunately for the Sixers, James Harden did not.
Harden had nine points on 3-for-11 shooting with six rebounds and seven assists. As the attention turns to the offseason, Harden can opt out of his current deal and enter free agency in the summer.
“I haven’t even thought about it,” Harden admitted after the loss.
The future Hall of Famer sacrificed a great deal in the 2022-23 season. He gave up money and he played second fiddle to Joel Embiid to make the team work. He discussed those sacrifices after the sweep over the Brooklyn Nets in Round 1.
“We’re in the second round,” Harden scoffed when asked if the sacrifices worked. “So I mean, it’s no different.”
The Sixers had a helluva year. They earned the No. 3 seed in the East with a 54-28 record. Harden and Embiid were terrific on the offensive end, and the role players fell into their spots on the floor.
But they weren’t able to get it done despite having a chance to end the series in Game 6 at home.
“I’m very, very disappointed,” The Beard added. “Very frustrated. It’s a lot I want to say, but it’s frustrating.”
When asked about his relationship with coach Doc Rivers, Harden kept it rather brief: “Our relationship is OK.”
Harden also kept it brief when asked about the key for him when it comes to his future.
“I just wanna have a chance to obviously compete,” he finished. “Yeah. Compete.”
Now that the season is done, this will be one very interesting offseason for Harden and the Sixers.
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