Harden: No break stress, ‘Able to play’

Harden: No break pressure, 'Ready to play'

Camden, NJ – Along with his first season in Philadelphia beginning Saturday in opposition to the Toronto Raptors, James Harden mentioned he feels no stress to do effectively for his new crew.

“The stress isn’t any. I really feel good,” Harden mentioned after coaching Thursday on the crew headquarters right here with a smile. “I am able to play. There’s nothing for that.”

Harden will must be up in opposition to the Raptors, who made him match within the two groups meet after a large commerce that noticed him come to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons again in February. Throughout these two video games—each five-point losses for 76, each coming with Toronto All-Star Fred VanVleet and streetwear-watched striker OG Anunoby—Harden fired an 8-for-24 complete from the sphere and a 1-for-8 from a 3-point vary whereas making a 9 programs.

When requested what makes Toronto a troublesome match, Harden mentioned it needed to do with the Raptors’ exercise and defensive togetherness — to not point out having a roster filled with athletes with lengthy limbs.

“They only fly round,” Harden mentioned. “They play actually exhausting. They play a little bit of a tough half within the recreation. They’ve a variety of tall gamers, they’re athletic, and they’re sturdy defenders. They use their peak very effectively, and so they simply have one another’s again. They sprint, they fly defensively, so for We’ve got to execute, ensure we excel within the passes and if the shot is offered, take it.”

Nonetheless, it will additionally require Harden to play on the degree Philadelphia hoped to get when the Sixers took over – a high-profile star who can win play-offs. One other Philadelphia star, Joel Embiid, mentioned he already knew what the Toronto recreation plan could be: throwing twos and threes to get the ball out of his fingers, and asking his teammates to step up and make performs as a substitute.

He mentioned he is completely superb with that, and in consequence, he is not taking part within the sequence and is seeking to rating, however as a substitute ensure his teammates are concerned.

“I would not go into this sequence wanting ahead to averaging 40,” Embiid mentioned. “They’ll take the ball out of my fingers. So it is all actually about me as a result of I do not get pissed off and belief my teammates time and again, and it would not matter if it is 10 or 20 factors or one thing else, so long as we’re scoring targets, that is my mentality, and it begins with me. All the eye they may give me, I’ve to make my teammates higher.”

This contains Harden, who Embiid mentioned wants to dam out the noise about his previous playoff struggles. Harden’s profession has been marked by a number of playoff exits, together with a Recreation 6 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in 2017 and a Recreation 7 loss to the Golden State Warriors the next yr, each at residence.

However Embiid mentioned his co-star simply must be himself, and let every thing else care for itself.

“I inform him to be himself. He is been doing an amazing job being the playmaker, however we would like him to be aggressive and actually rating the ball, particularly in opposition to Toronto,” Embiid mentioned. “The way in which they guard me, we’ll want everybody. We’ll want Thérèse to be aggressive with all the eye that I and James, Thérèse can have. [Maxey]Tobias [Harris]All the opposite gamers, they need to play performs. He simply needs to be himself, not fear about individuals speaking about stress. No matter occurred previously, you take a look at what he completed and what he did, he needed to play in opposition to a dynasty. It was exhausting for anybody to beat the Golden State groups, and the timing was actually unhealthy. However I am positive he’ll be superb.”

The opposite factor that appears good is that each Harden and Embiid are going via the playoffs in good well being. Embiid mentioned he hasn’t been “wholesome,” however is feeling higher, whereas Harden mentioned the hamstring issues he is had since final season aren’t a problem in the intervening time.

“That is good,” Harden mentioned. “I’ve really performed some sprints and a few hamstring work this week, so it is a actually good week to arrange myself for this primary spherical.”