Getty Tyrese Maxey #0 and James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers speak.
Things did not go well for the Philadelphia 76ers in their Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat. Keeping afloat without Joel Embiid may be a more daunting task than some first thought.
Despite not having their best player, the Sixers managed to stick around for part of the game. They even went into halftime with a lead. Things drastically changed in the final two quarters as Miami took over thanks to strong performances from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
A recent video shows the Sixers might have more problems at hand than playing without Embiid. Once Doc Rivers waved the white flag and took his starters off the floor, James Harden attempted to take a spot on the bench next to Tyrese Maxey. The 21-year-old responded by getting up and moving to a spot where Harden could not sit beside him.
Tyrese Maxey didn’t want to sit next to James Harden 😩👀👀 (F)
Since Harden’s arrival, the two guards have built a close relationship. That being said, tension could be starting to rise under the pressure of the postseason. There’s no telling what caused this from Maxey, but it could most likely be chalked to the frustration of an ugly postseason loss.
Skip Bayless Takes Shot At James Harden
With no Embiid, the Sixers needed to rely heavily on their other All-Star to lead the charge. Tobias Harris did an incredible job of stepping up, but the same cannot be said for James Harden. The former MVP continued his up-and-down play this postseason during Game 1 in Miami.
Harden tallied 16 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in the loss to the Heat. He shot an abysmal 38.5% from the floor and turned the ball over five times. Not the type of showing you like to see from one of your star players.
Following the halftime intermission, Harden only mustered four points. In light of this, FS1’s Skip Bayless took to Twitter and made a slight jab at the All-Star guard.
Did James Harden hit South Beach at halftime of tonight’s Game 1 in Miami? I couldn’t find him in the second half.
We saw Miami’s defense do an incredible job of containing Trae Young in round one, and they also proved they are capable of frustrating Harden.
Could This Affect Future Decisions?
When Harden arrived in Philly, it became clear the Sixers were all in. Daryl Morey took a big risk sacrificing depth pieces to acquire star talent, and the results of it are up for debate. On top of giving up a lot to get Harden, the Sixers will also have to break out the checkbook this summer.
If Harden declines his player option this summer, he will become an unrestricted free agent. Given the stature he still has in the league, he will warrant a max contract. Seeing how he’s performed in recent months begs the question if Philly should be the team paying him north of $50 million annually for the next five years.
While there have been some nice flashes, some things cannot be overlooked. It’s evident Harden doesn’t have the same burst physically, which limits what he can do as a scorer. The Sixers acquired him to pair his scoring punch alongside Embiid, but rarely has he been able to take over games in that fashion.
Between the up-and-down play and this scuffle with Maxey, the Sixers might be starting to re-think their strategy for this offseason.