Sixers’ James Harden Sends a Strong Message to Heat After Game 1 Loss

James Harden

Getty James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers warms up prior to Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at FTX Arena on May 02, 2022.

The Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers 106-92 in Game 1 of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoff series on Monday, May 2. The Heat initially got off to a slow start, heading into halftime with a mere one-point lead, but the team came alive in the second half.

While the Sixers are dealing with the obvious blow of having to play without league MVP candidate Joel Embiid, the leading man role fell to James Harden, NBA’s 2018 MVP. However, “The Beard” was unable to get much going with Heat’s P.J. Tucker all over him, he spent 29 possessions as Harden’s primary defender, and Max Strus, who covered him on 8 possessions.

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Harden finished on Monday with just 16 points, shooting 5-of-13 from the field, and 2-of-7 from beyond the arc. The 10-time All-Star sent a strong message to the Heat while speaking with reporters following the Sixers’ loss at the FTX Arena in Miami.

“We let one slip away, we’ll be ready for Game 2,” Harden said. “It’s one game but things can turn fast. So the sooner we can correct the things that we can control the better off we’ll be.”

As for Tucker effectively shutting down his offensive game, the 32-year-old veteran refused from giving him too much credit. “P.J.’s P.J. He plays hard,” Harden said. “But that’s not something I’m worried about.”

Harden has a history with Tucker. While the Heat veteran said he used to “hate” Harden, the two buried their previous grievances when they became teammates in Houston.

Perhaps, the most awkward part of Harden’s postgame comments was when Heat reporter Mateo Mayorga asked the Sixers star, who’s famous for drawing charges throughout his career, about only making it to the foul line four times. “Next question,” Harden answered.


Harden Said It’ll Be ‘Simple’ for the Sixers to Turn Things Around in Game 2


Harden did take some responsibility for his own pitfalls on Monday night and credited the Heat’s defense as a whole. “I think I can be a little more aggressive,” Harden told reporters. “They did a really good job of just boxes and elbows, just showing their bodies and crowding the ball when ball screens came. We’ll watch film and find ways to get better.”

However, Harden also believes it won’t take much to turn things around for Game 2, which is scheduled for Wednesday, May 4 at the FTX Arena in Miami.

“For us, I think it’s good to get back out there,” Harden said. “Every game is its own game. Whether you lose by a game-winner or you lose by 30, 40 points. We find things that we can correct and go out there in Game 2 and win the game. We let them get off to a good start, we crawled back, took the lead going into halftime. We got to have a better third quarter and it’s that simple.”


Paul Reed Is Confident the Sixers Will Get Revenge on the Heat: ‘They Will Fold’


Sixers forward Paul Reed, 22, has unwavering confidence the Sixers will turn the series around. “Honestly, I think we can definitely beat this team,” Reed, a.k.a “Bball Paul” said.

“We go out there and be more physical than them and play more aggressive. Keep them on their heels. They’re going to fold. We seen that happen in the second quarter and a little bit in the first. I think that’s one thing we realized facing this team.”

While DeAndre Jordan stepped in to fill Embiid’s shoes, NBA analysts and fans are calling for the Sixers head coach Doc Rivers to give Reed more minutes. However, Rivers made it clear he’s sticking with Jordan.

“We like DJ,” Rivers said during the postgame press conference. “We’re going to keep starting him whether you like it or not.”

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