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The Philadelphia 76ers are locked into a first round matchup against the Toronto Raptors, and that’s where they’ll be starting their championship run.
Expectations for the team are high now that James Harden has joined the team, but there’s still some roadblocks in the way. One notable example is Matisse Thybulle being unavailable for road games against the Raptors. Fortunately, if the Sixers get past the Raptors then they’ll be at full strength the rest of the way.
Harden has been up and down throughout his tenure in Philadelphia, and his methods have also been called into question. Back in March, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue called out both Harden and Joel Embiid for shooting too many free throws.
He went on to say that if you take away their free throws, neither of them would be in the top 10 in scoring. Team president Daryl Morey didn’t like that comment and immediately fired back, but Harden didn’t say anything publicly.
In an interview with Complex, Harden finally got his chance to respond.
Harden Addresses the Complaints
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GettyJames Harden and Joel Embiid are a strong pair.
Free throws are part of the game, but players like Harden have been criticized in the past for shooting too many of them. The NBA made rule changes for this year that stopped some of the wackier movements from getting called as fouls, but they didn’t stop Harden from getting to the line.
When asked what he thought about Lue’s comments, he didn’t really pay them much attention.
“I don’t even pay attention to it,” he said. “Free throws are a part of the game. You look at who leads the league, Joel and Giannis, what about if you take away their free throws? I don’t understand what that comment meant. Free throws are a part of the game. It’s on the defense to have discipline and not foul. That’s what coaches should be teaching their players. For me I don’t pay attention to it, I just try to go out there and make an impact on the game in a positive way every night.”
While Lue might have his gripes, Harden does not seem to agree with them at all, and even took a shot at how they are teaching their players.
Moving On
GettyJames Harden has big critics.
The Sixers can’t spend too much time worrying about what other teams think of them because they have a tough road ahead of them.
Harden and Embiid will have to continue shouldering the offensive load, but that doesn’t mean other players can’t step up. Tyrese Maxey has really come on strong this season and he’s pretty much become the third scoring option ahead of Tobias Harris.
The matchup against the Raptors could be a tough one with Thybulle, but they should be able to get by them if everything goes correct. Then again, anything can happen in the playoffs and if they flame out in the first round, it might result in the dismissal of head coach Doc Rivers.
There are already fans calling for a replacement, so there are a bunch of possibilities out there.
READ NEXT: Doc Rivers Responds to Rumors of Him Leaving Sixers for Lakers
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