“With James Harden they gotta go to the South Beach” - Stephen A. Smith takes a hilarious dig at Philadelphia 76ers guard’s-off court life 

ESPN analyst Stephen A Smith recently took a hilarious dig at Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden. It was regarding his off-court life when talking about the 76ers potentially facing the Miami Heat if they advance further in the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Smith believes that Philadelphia's hopes of achieving postseason success hinge on how well Harden deals with the pressure of changing three teams in two years.

The 32-year-old has been hunting for his first championship ring aggressively, which also led to his surprise midseason move to the Philadelphia 76ers from Brooklyn. With the Heat expected to be the Sixers' next opponent if they advance, Smith believes the pressure will be on Harden to take his team to the Conference Finals.

Here's what he said on the recent episode of ESPN's First Take:

"Who do they (76ers) play next if they win this series against the Toronto? That would be Miami Heat. Let me ask you a question, there ain't gonna be some doubters there? Who will be silent then? When they gotta go to South Beach."

Smith added:

"I say when they gotta go to South Beach, with James Harden they gotta go to the South Beach. You just never know, there are distractions everywhere."

Smith believes the Philadelphia 76ers aren't expected to struggle against the depleted Toronto Raptors, especially with their current roster. However, things could get tricky against the Miami Heat, the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference this year.

The ESPN analyst also brought up James Harden's off-court life when talking about the 76ers being doubted against Miami. He felt that the guard could easily be distracted by the off-court life at South Beach.

Harden is known to be a fan of partying around in clubs, something the NBA world has made plenty of jokes about in the past.

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James Harden and Philadelphia 76ers cruising past the Toronto Raptors

The Philadelphia 76ers are up 2-0 against the 2019 NBA champions Toronto Raptors in their first-round series matchup. Both matchups have been blowout wins for James Harden and Co.

The first game was a 131-111 win, followed by a 112-97 win in the second. It is worth noting that the Raptors have had to deal with the absence of key players like Scottie Barnes and Thaddeus Young, which has affected their displays.

Either way, the 76ers were expected to be the heavy favorites to advance against Toronto, especially with the presence of Harden on their roster. However, their new signing hasn't played up to the mark yet against the Raptors, scoring only 36 points across both games and shooting just 34% from the floor.

Tyrese Maxey has been the second option behind talisman Joel Embiid, while Tobias Harris has also done well to help the Sixers take a 2-0 series lead. Philadelphia will be hoping Harden comes up with a couple of solid outings before they advance to the next round.

They will certainly need momentum on their side should they face a tougher opponent like the Miami Heat in the second round.