The Philadelphia 76ers are in for a dramatic finish to their first-round series in the playoffs against the Boston Celtics, but the same can be said for the other matchups in the East. There are going to be two other Game 7s in the conference, and one of them features a former player of theirs in James Harden, who is now co-piloting the Cavaliers.
Cleveland, leading by a point late in Game 6 and in prime position to eliminate Toronto, fell victim to a three-pointer by RJ Barrett off a lucky bounce. However, the fact that they even got to that point is baffling –– and Harden certainly has a hand in that. The former 76ers star was limited to just 16 points in 44 minutes of gameplay, although he did flirt with a triple-double.
The city of Philadelphia is all too familiar with this version of Harden. Inarguably the best scorer in the league at his very best, he has eventually morphed into one of the most inconsistent stars in the NBA. Now, the Cavaliers are learning a tough lesson with him, and the 76ers were probably waiting for them to make that exact realization.
The Cavs can finally sympathize with the 76ers with regard to James Harden
Harden is no longer the one-man wrecking crew he used to be in Houston, but he is still pretty darn good when it comes to putting the ball in the hoop. However, as the 76ers know fully well, he is one the most mercurial stars in the NBA come playoff time. His highs are tremendously lofty, but his lows can get pretty sunken.
Donovan Mitchell cannot do everything on his own, and the Cavs desperately need Harden to help them out in the scoring department. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have been meh so far, so it is incumbent upon the 11-time All-Star to vindicate Cleveland's brain trust for trading someone like Darius Garland for him.
Unfortunately, Harden has reprised his inconsistent self in the playoffs. While the variance in performance on a nightly basis has not been as drastic just yet, the 76ers have already seen this movie before. And with the Cavs facing a do-or-die situation in Game 7, having Harden as their main sidekick could be a dangerous gambit.
It's none of the 76ers' business at this point given that they have their own Game 7 to worry about, but if the Cavaliers end up getting booted out early, James Harden is sure to be one of the biggest reasons why. Philly has seen how this script unfolded in the past, and so far, there has been a dearth of reasons to believe that there could be a switcheroo this time around.
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