James Harden Issues High Praise for Raptors After Sixers' Series Win

The Philadelphia 76ers figured they had a tough matchup in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. While they were the higher seed in the series, facing the

The Philadelphia 76ers figured they had a tough matchup in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. While they were the higher seed in the series, facing the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors wasn't necessarily viewed as a walk in the park.

And when you look at Philadelphia's regular-season record against the Raptors this past season, 1-3 doesn't exactly inspire hope.

The Sixers didn't allow that 1-3 record to affect how they started the postseason. With three straight wins, the Sixers were gearing up to sweep the Raptors. Unfortunately, a Game 4 loss on the road prevented that from happening.

Nobody was worried about the Sixers' chances of dropping the series before Game 5, but a blowout victory for the Raptors on Monday night shifted the narrative a bit.

Going into Thursday night's Game 6 matchup in Toronto, the 76ers held a 3-2 lead over the Raptors. A loss would force a Game 7 this upcoming weekend. A win would allow the 76ers to put the Raptors away once and for all and advance to the next round. The latter scenario happened, and the Sixers completed their ultimate goal with a blowout 132-97 win on Thursday.

But just because Thursday's game looked as easy as the first couple of matchups looked doesn't mean the 76ers thought their journey to the second round was a cakewalk. Following the Game 6 victory, Sixers guard James Harden issued some high praise for the Raptors, who put up a great fight until the end.

Harden's Praise for Toronto

“That was one of the toughest series that I’ve played in," said Harden. "Just because of their switching, their athleticism, their length, and they’re throwing different defenses at you. Box And-One’s, zones, and just they mess up the game."

In his first playoff series with the Sixers, Harden struggled to consistently take over as a scorer. While he wrapped up Game 6 with 22 points and 15 assists in 42 minutes, he averaged under 20 points while shooting 37-percent from the field and 37-percent from three in the previous five games.

"They’re a resilient team," Harden continued. "They had injuries, guys in and out of the lineups, and just continued to fight. Continued to find a way to stay in the game. Huge shoutout to them. Credit to them for even pushing to a Game 6. Even without Fred (VanVleet) in the lineup for a few games. They had a hell of a series and hell of a season.”

After winning Game 6 in Toronto, the Sixers secured their spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Now, they are set to face the Miami Heat for a seven-game series as the road to the 2022 NBA Finals continues.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.