Arizona State great James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers lost 112-88 today to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, ending their season in disappointing fashion and potentially Harden’s time in Philadelphia.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The 33-year-old Harden only scored nine points today for the 76ers, and they got blown out after halftime by the Celtics and Jayson Tatum, who had 51 points, a record-setting number of points in a Game 7. Harden previously had 45 and 42 point games earlier in the series, but in all of the rest of the games he failed to score over 20 points. The Sixers led the Celtics 3-2 after Game 5, but dropped the final two games.
Joel Embiid: 13 points (4-16 FG)
James Harden: 9 points (3-9 FG) pic.twitter.com/PDYfSLyoNV
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 14, 2023
The 76ers and Harden have big questions moving forward, as Harden accepted a team-friendly two-year, $68.6 million deal before this season in hopes they could build a championship roster. Now, he has a player option for next season that he will likely opt out of.
Harden was traded to Philadelphia midway through last season, as he wanted to come play with coach Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid. When asked about his relationship with Rivers after today’s game, Harden had a questionable answer: “Uh, our relationship is okay.”
Reporter: "How is your relationship with Doc [Rivers] and would you like to see him back next season?"
James Harden: "Uh, our relationship is OK." 😬pic.twitter.com/Q2QzC2SEjI
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 14, 2023
Big questions loom for Harden in regards to how well he can perform in the playoffs after consistently falling short and who he will play for next season.
James Harden hits game-winner, shines in front of MSU school shooting survivor John Hao
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Brendan Mau is a college sports insider and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on Twitter via @Brendan_Mau
