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Tim BontempsESPN
MINNEAPOLIS — After an evening through which James Harden and Philadelphia 76ers could not play higher collectively, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 133-102 on his new crew debut, the celebrity goalkeeper focused the suggestion that he is a foul teammate.
“I do not know why,” Harden mentioned. “That is the media saying it. I really feel like certainly one of my greatest teammates the NBA has ever seen, on and off the courtroom. Simply because the present state of affairs occurred, and no matter occurred, occurred, doesn’t suggest I am a foul teammate. Personally, I really feel like I simply must do what’s greatest for my profession and assist myself be joyful.”
Harden appeared very joyful on the ground on Friday evening, ending the sport with 27 factors, 8 rebounds and 12 assists to grow to be the primary participant to have no less than 25 factors and 12 assists in his first sport with three totally different groups.
It was a dream debut for the Harden and the 76ers (36-23), who did what they needed with the Timberwolves (32-29). They blew the match open within the second half with clear passes, a gradual dose of Harden and Joel Embiid Decide-and-Rolls and the Sixers 19 of 39 photographs from behind the 3-point line due to the creation of a number of large open seems.
Then, Harden defined, it was just the start of what he hopes will finish in Philadelphia’s first NBA championship in practically 4 many years.
“Positive,” Harden mentioned when requested if he had some extent to show in Philadelphia. “All of us do it. Tonight has been a fantastic begin. However we’ve got a protracted method to go, and we are going to do no matter it takes day by day to construct nice habits so we’re prepared when the time is true.”
These habits will start and finish with the partnership between Harden and Embiid, which regarded like mid-season of their first sport collectively. Timberwolves, who leads the league in fouls per sport, is likely to be the proper opponent to use for Harden and Embiid, two of the league’s greatest groups at fault draw.
Not surprisingly, they’ve gone to the streak mixed 22 instances. Harden’s graded soar was on full show on Friday evening, when 4 of them dedicated, together with two he tied and one foul to supply 4-point performs.
And whereas the pick-and-roll partnership between Harden and Embiid appeared powerful at instances, it created one large open shot after one other for his or her teammates and one another.
“It was implausible,” Embiid mentioned. “Like I mentioned, it is by no means at any level in my profession, to this stage. , I’ve all the time needed to innovate for myself…nevertheless it’s not nearly me, it is also about our crew.
“All the eye that I entice or do, it is going to make our teammates higher, and that’s the level, as a result of we are able to’t win alone. We’ll want all of them. … It’s about giving them that confidence, as a result of after we get to the playoffs, we’re going to want them.”
Therese Maxi was a kind of different gamers who appeared to have excessive confidence, incomes 28 factors on a 12-for-16 shootout. Maxi had been a place to begin guard at Philadelphia all season within the absence of Ben Simmons and admired his velocity and tempo.
These qualities had been on show again and again on Friday evening, with Maxi getting the place he needed to on the sector resulting from open and drop floats by stabbing the protection at will. He even dropped two 3-catch throws, each of which had been fully large open with the protection collapsing on each Philadelphia superstars.
“Sure. It needs to be like that,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers mentioned when requested if enjoying alongside Embiid and Harden would make life simpler for others. “You’ve got bought Joel Embiid and James Harden on the ground, and they’ll get a number of consideration.
“All we have talked about on this day and a half, two days, is distancing and making ready for when the ball comes. And I assumed our guys usually did it.”
Maxi admitted she was thrilled to now be standing by Harden’s facet, quite than having to attempt to cease him. He laughed as he described the expertise of guarding Harden’s step, saying that you just solely need to shrug if you “contact him and he receives an error.”
“I imply, it comes due to his skill to cross the ball,” Maxi mentioned of Harden. “They’re so fearful about his passing they’re shedding work and now he is making for himself. So he is a expertise, and I actually respect his arduous work, his communication and his dedication.”
With Harden now on the sector, Rivers had an opportunity to show whether or not he would comply with via on his pledge to assault his 4 greatest attacking gamers – Embiid, Harden, Harris and Maxi – in addition to proudly owning no less than certainly one of Harden and Maxi. Right down to earth always.
The logic was sound, as it will permit 76 gamers to double their assault for as a lot of the sport as doable. Nevertheless it’s additionally one thing Rivers has often given up on previously.
Nonetheless, true to his phrase, Rivers began the Friday evening sport by doing precisely that. His first substitutions of the match, on the five-minute mark of the primary quarter, had been to take out Harden and Harris and substitute them with Furkan Korkmaz and George Niang. All through the sport – 54 seconds out throughout two late first-quarter intervals – Rivers caught to having no less than two of the 4 on the ground always. There was by no means a time when Harden or Maxi weren’t out of courtroom besides in possession of the protection solely to complete the primary.
That plan was scrapped within the second half, nonetheless, when Maxi went to the bench early within the third together with his fourth foul, leading to a full bench lineup on the sector for a couple of minutes late on the finish of the third quarter.
Ultimately, this sport was all about Harden and Embiid, and for the 76ers who spent months ready to see what occurs with Simmons, Friday evening was, for no less than one evening, an instance of why 76ers common supervisor Daryl Morey needs to be ready. The proper participant to return by earlier than buying and selling Simmons away.
Friday evening’s win was the primary of 24 video games in a dash to the top of the common season for Philadelphia. Nevertheless it was the beginning of a dream for Harden and his new teammates, which bought all of them enthusiastic about what lay forward.
“We simply need to win,” Harden mentioned. “My job is to return and add to it.”
