The Philadelphia 76ers may be one of the top teams in the East in terms of contending for a title thanks to the talent they possess in the form of James Harden and Joel Embiid, but it doesn’t mean that they are a flawless bunch.
Harden, especially, has received a lot of criticism recently after a poor performance against the Brooklyn Nets where he shot just 3-for-17 and he had a tough time getting anything going against his former team. Nets guard Kyrie Irving did a terrific job of picking him up and forcing him into tough shots all night.
The game brought up some questions about Harden’s ability to show up in big games and he did not make it any easier for himself when he was seen partying with rappers Travis Scott and Lil Baby after the game.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith closed out Monday’s edition on “First Take” by expressing his concern about Harden in big games:
Definitely so. When you go 3-for-17, when Kyrie Irving comes out of the tunnel, out of the locker room, and picks you up and guards you by himself one-on-one for the whole practically the whole game and you don’t respond to that challenge, that says something, but I’m also saying that because I love James Harden. My brother please listen to me, no shade on you whatsoever, you cannot be seen partying the night after you performed the way you performed against the Brooklyn Nets. That is a bad look. I don’t care what pass Philadelphia gives you now, they will turn against you if you don’t show up in these big moments, and you out partying that same night. Can’t do that Allen Iverson partied a lot, but he performed first. Remember that. It’s very important.
Harden and the Sixers will look to build off Sunday’s win over the Orlando Magic when they host the Denver Nuggets at home on Monday. The upcoming tilt qualifies as a big game as they will be hosting the reigning MVP in the form of Nikola Jokic so it will be interesting to see how Harden responds.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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