The Philadelphia 76ers are nowhere to been in the action-packed 2025 NBA Playoffs, but the team has remained a vivid adjunct in the background. Former players for the franchise, after all, have been at the crux of various narratives in the postseason, with some patterns from their prior stint with the team carrying over to their new squads, for better or for worse.
Save for the Knicks-Pistons series that went six games, the first-round series in the Eastern Conference have all been cakewalks. The first-seeded Cavaliers made a complete tomfoolery of the Heat, while the Pacers and Celtics similarly breezed through the Bucks and the Magic, respectively.
But over in the Western Conference, things are a bit more heated. The Thunder have swept the Grizzlies and the Timberwolves knocked some sense into everyone with a statement series win over the higher-seeded Lakers, but there were already two Game 7’s. As of writing, the Rockets are set to host the Warriors in a do-or-die match, but there was another huge contest that transpired not too long ago.
In another Game 7, the Nuggets bested the Clippers in what was the tightest playoff series so far this year. The Nikola Jokic-led squad trumped Kawhi Leonard and former 76ers star James Harden, sending LA packing in the first round for the third straight season.
Clippers finally understand what the James Harden experience was like for the 76ers
All season long, it was Harden that was leading the pack for the Clippers. Yet on their most important game yet, the All-Star guard turned in his worst outing in this campaign, finishing the match with just seven points, missing six of his eight shot attempts. It was his second-lowest scoring output all year long.
Sounds familiar, huh? Well, the 76ers know very well about this side of the Harden experience. Not too long ago, Philly found itself in control of its playoff series with Harden playing hero. However, in just a flick, it was also him that cuased their downfall.
Two years ago, the 76ers found themselves up 3-2 in their Conference Semifinals series against the Celtics, their archrivals. With two chances to close the series out, Harden went on to score 13 points in Game 6, and nine points in the winner-takes-all Game 7, effectively sending Philadelphia into a messy finish.
Harden has now had four straight Game 7’s where he shot the ball under 30 percent — a troubling trend in his career that will most likely trample how he will be remembered when it’s all said and done. While he is capable of putting up monstrous numbers, he is incredibly inconsistent in that he will still find a way to look like a deer in the headlights in the same playoff series, especially in the most important outings.
The Philadelphia 76ers can hardly call this a gotcha moment, but at the very least, they could find some solace in the fact that James Harden has not only blundered with the franchise. Now, he has another squad to terrorize when the lights are the brightest.