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James Harden has got off to a brilliant start in a 76ers jersey and has proven to be the right guard to unleash Joel Embiid's full potential. However, Philadelphia hit a roadblock against Harden's former team, the Brooklyn Nets, where the superstar guard failed to show up.
Sports anchor Rob Parker lambasted the fans and analysts who compared the duo to Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant after a poor showing against the Nets.
Harden had an underwhelming 11 points, five assists and six rebounds in the game. He was largely a mute spectator as Kevin Durant, Seth Curry and Kyrie Irving dominated the contest. Considering how hyped the showdown was, it was pretty disappointing to see an average performance from the star in a game that mattered a lot.
Television personality Rob Parker took aim at all the analysts, former players and fans who were comparing the 76ers duo to Shaq and Kobe. Here's what he said in a conversation with Chris Broussard on the Odd Couple podcast:
" James Harden has won nothing. He has played with 10 great, All-Time players and still has nothing to show for it. It was just a day ago, before this game when they said Joel Embiid and James Harden were the next Shaq and Kobe."
"How dare they? Talk about prisoners of the moment. The stage was big last night. That was a chance for James Harden to say, we did win the trade, we are going to beat their big two and we don't care about Ben Simmons."
Despite the 76ers good run off form earlier on, they still lack the depth to compete with the likes of the Nets and Bucks, making it more crucial for James Harden to turn up at his best in every game during the playoffs if the 76ers are to have a shot at reaching the conference finals, let alone win the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Can James Harden and Joel Embiid guide the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals?
The 76ers made the blockbuster trade to acquire James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets, with Ben Simmons going the other way. In the aftermath, most fans and analysts were excited to see how the trade would unlock the potential of both stars considering both fit well in each system.
Harden got off to a brilliant start in Philly. He did so by scoring points in bunches, driving to the bucket at will, and finding his teammates for open buckets with intelligent plays. His skillset has helped unleash Embiid's full skillset with a lethal pick and roll, teaching his teammates his patented step-back jumper. Things seemed to be going well for the 76ers till they faced the Nets.
The game against the Nets brought back the fears and doubts that most people had when concerning the 76ers roster which was, Harden not turning up, lack of depth and Embiid being the only source of buckets.
Without Harden being aggressive and looking to score, things may go sideways quickly for Philly if they go up against the likes of the Bucks, Bulls or Nets. Don't be surprised if Philly gets knocked out prior to the Conference Finals.
