The Philadelphia 76ers are 4-0 in the James Harden era, but it hasn’t always been easy. Friday marked the second game in a row where they were down by a significant (double digit) margin, and clawed their way back. In times past, in the pre-James Harden era, when the Sixers would fall down 16 to the New York Knicks or 20 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the game would feel over. They just didn’t have the firepower, or at least belief in their firepower to come back from such a deficit. Now they do. They have that resilience, and they have that belief.
The Power of Belief
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Just watching the Sixers, you can tell that they simply have more faith in themselves to erase large deficits. Having James Harden is key to that. Now, they have a perimeter isolation scorer that can easily take a man one-on-one and score when they are in a rut. Before, if Joel Embiid or Tobias Harris weren’t playing well, extended scoring runs would drag on forever. Harden is also able to set up teammates for baskets in the same way. Never before has Joel Embiid had so many free runs to the rim, and it’s all thanks to Harden. Sometimes, Embiid himself can hardly believe it.
The fact that Harden and the rest of the team is giving the whole squad confidence. Heads are held high, everyone continues to fight, and there’s less apathy and settling for poor shots. Tyrese Maxey has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of this. Beyond his absurdly good play, Maxey has been coming through in the clutch. He was the primary scorer when the Sixers finally managed to pull level with the Cavaliers, scoring 14 points in the third quarter. He then scored eight straight in the fourth to give the Sixers a six-point lead (off a fast break dunk no less, just look at the energy) and it was a wrap after that.
Everyone Gets Involved
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The beautiful thing about the Sixers on this run too, is that it didn’t have to be Maxey leading the charge. Embiid and Harden can obviously do it as well. Even Harris, who hasn’t been playing super well recently, has come in big in the past two games. It was Harris who put the game away against the Knicks in the fourth quarter, scoring seven of his 14 pretty much in a row to extend the lead to 12. It was also Harris, (along with Shake Milton) who kept the game afloat and prevented things from getting really out of hand against the Cavs. There are four guys on this team that can truly get buckets at pretty much anytime, and they truly believe in themselves to do it. The energy and vibe is totally different on the team, and it’s amazing to watch.
The Road Ahead
The 76ers simply won’t stay undefeated for long. They have an especially tough road ahead of them coming up. Beating the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Knicks were solid wins, but they haven’t really faced the class of the NBA yet. The Cavs were a good test, but they are slumping, somewhat injured and let’s not forget the 76ers were down 20 at one point. The defense especially has been concerning, giving up 63 and 71 points in the first half of their last two games. The Sixers face the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets in their next three, and will face playoff teams in the Cavs, the Denver Nuggets and the surging Dallas Mavericks in short order after that. That’ll be the true test, especially how the team handles and looks in losses, but they’ve passed the initial challenges with flying colors. This team simply looks and feels different, and it’s that type of confidence that wins championships.
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