Joel Embiid and James Harden love getting to the free throw line. It’s a point of pride for them. And a point of frustration for everyone else.
Doc Rivers has heard all the complaints from opposing coaches about his two stars. Guess what? He doesn’t care.
“We have two guys that get fouled,” Rivers told reporters on Thursday. “It’s funny, I’ve heard a lot of complaining about Joel and James and my counter to all that is don’t foul them and see if you can guard them.”
Rivers wasn’t smiling when he made that comment either. He was dead serious, although the savvy coach was careful not to offend any league officials who might have been listening. Rivers does think the referees sometimes swallow the whistles come playoff time. That could take away one of the Sixers’ biggest advantages.
“My only concern is I do think in the playoffs I believe – and I would say the league could say no – but I do believe they allow you to play more,” Rivers said, “especially as each game goes on. It feels like the game gets more physical. I don’t know if that’s to our advantage or not.”
Embiid ranks No. 1 in free throw attempts (11.8) and free throws made (9.6) while Harden ranks No. 3 in attempts (8.2) and makes (7.2). Those two players combined to go 16-for-18 from the charity stripe when the Sixers and Raptors met back on April 7.
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Embiid Feeling Good Heading Into Postseason
Embiid was already dealing with a bum knee heading into last year’s playoffs, then he suffered a meniscus tear in his right knee in the first round. He played through the pain while averaging 30.4 points and 12.7 rebounds per game in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Sixers’ big man enters this year’s postseason in a much better place. Embiid wouldn’t declare himself 100% healthy – remember, he missed the regular-season finale with right knee soreness – but he’s pretty close.
“Well, I wouldn’t say fully [healthy] but I’m right there,” Embiid said. “It feels good. I’m excited to go out there and try to compete. We got a tough series ahead of us, so we really need to be on point.”
Harden Stays After Practice to Get Shots Up
Harden had been struggling to find his shot down the stretch, especially from the three-point line. He went 9-for-33 from deep over his final five games. That trend can’t continue in the playoffs. Harden knows it. And he’s been putting the required work in, like staying late after practice to get extra shots up.
“You got to put the work in,” Harden said. “So yesterday [Wednesday] I stayed and shot a million shots it feels like. I haven’t had to do that in a long, long time but it’s something [missing shots] I can’t do.”
The other thing he’s been doing is building chemistry with his new teammates. He’s only been in a Sixers’ uniform for 21 games, so any additional gym time can only make everyone better.
“It’s been really helpful,” Harden said of getting extra practice time. “Our execution and the things, different situations, in-game situations that I was a little uncertain about is made clear now.”
Sixers’ Doc Rivers Fires Back at Those ‘Complaining About Joel and James’