James Harden Explains 76ers’ Key Issue in Game 2 vs. Celtics

James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers found success in Game 1 against the Boston Celtics this week. As Harden took advantage of a ton of ideal looks from the field, the star guard produced a playoff career-high of 45 points as the Sixers took a 1-0 lead.

On Wednesday night, the Sixers struggled to follow up with success. Despite having their MVP center Joel Embiid on the floor for the first time since Game 3 of the first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers couldn’t execute their gameplan.

“It was good to see Big Fella back on the court,” Harden told reporters after the game. “Obviously, the results weren’t very good, but a lot of things that we got to control. We will watch the film and get better at. Off the top of my head, 50/50 basketballs, I feel like they got to every single one, which led to a shot for them, the majority from three. Our spacing offensively wasn’t great. We just didn’t generate enough really good shots.”

The Celtics attempted 13 more shots from the field on Wednesday night and put up 21 more three-pointers. While the Celtics didn’t truly heat up from the field until the second half, there was never a moment in Game 2 where the Sixers looked like they gained an offensive rhythm. Harden blames a lack of ideal spacing for that.

“Our spacing wasn’t right,” he explained. “This is a make-or-miss league. They didn’t really start making shots until the third quarter when they went on a big run. For us, we just got to do a better job of knowing where we are on the floor and just allow each other to have space and generate easier shots.”

On a personal level, Harden shot just 2-14 from the field. He went cold from beyond the arc and missed all six of his threes. As a team, the Sixers didn’t pick up the slack. Of the 79 attempted shots, the Sixers averaged 39 percent from the field.

“The ball can move around, but our spacing didn’t give each other opportunities to drive and put pressure on the rim to be able to generate a lot of open shots,” Harden said.

On Thursday, the Sixers will get an opportunity to re-group, watch the film, and strategize for Game 3, which takes place on Friday night in South Philly.

“We’ll watch film, we’ll get better, and we’re ready for Game 3,” Harden finished. “As much as we wanted to win two games here, we won a game. Like I said a couple of days ago, even keel. Never want to get too high, never want to get too low. Lost a game by 30 tonight, it all counts as one win and one loss. We got to be ready for Game 3.”