CAMDEN, N.J. — Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden has been through many playoff battles throughout his decorated Hall of Fame career. The upcoming series with the Boston Celtics is just another one to add to the books.
The Sixers are heading into this battle without Joel Embiid. The big fella is dealing with a sprained LCL in his right knee that will likely keep him out for at least Game 1. Philadelphia will need to dig deep in order to pull off an upset.
Harden believes the Sixers have what it takes despite not having Embiid.
“Us,” said Harden. “A mindset of just going out there and being us. We did it all year long. Spacing the floor, attacking them, being ultra-confident. That’s all it is in the playoffs. You got confidence, you can go out there and beat anybody, and we’ve seen that so far this year.”
The Sixers have fallen in the semifinals in four of the past five seasons. This is another opportunity to reach their first Eastern Conference finals since 2001 as they try to forget the past and move forward.
“I think for us, man, just focus on what we can control,” The Beard continued. “That’s game-by-game, possession-by-possession, so for us, it’s just Game 1. Taking it for what it is going possession-by-possession, quarter-by-quarter, and just trying to be the best we can be. We can’t focus on things that’s happened in the past.”
Harden has had his own playoff failures in the past. He didn’t play well in the Game 6 elimination loss to the Miami Heat in 2022 and there have been other instances while with the Houston Rockets. He has a chance to move past all of that.
“For me, I can’t focus on things that didn’t go well in the past or whatever the case may be,” he added. “It is what it is. Whether it’s individual or with the team, none of it matters. You gotta take it and move on.”
While Harden promises to be more aggressive in this series with Embiid injured, he understands that this is going to take everybody. This will not just be a one-man job.
“It’s gonna have to be all of us,” he finished. “Obviously, we were relying on 30-something points a game so now it’s gonna have to be a couple people stepping up, but for us, it’s about being unselfish, taking a shot when it’s open, and making the right decision.”
Game 1 from the TD Garden is set for Monday at 7:30 p.m. EDT.
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