James Harden Is Feeling The Pressure Of Facing The Miami Heat
The Philadelphia 76ers are set to face off against the Miami Heat Monday at FTX Arena.
With superstar center Joel Embiid sidelined indefinitely because of an orbital fracture, it means James Harden will have to carry a bigger load.
He will draw the bulk of the attention from the Heat.
Harden averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 assists, and eight rebounds during the regular season. During the first-round series against the Toronto Raptors, he averaged 19 points, 10.2 assists and five rebounds.
Now, will be the test to see if Harden is ready to take on the postseason.
Although Harden is regarded as one of the league’s most acclaimed players, he has a reputation for not showing up in the playoffs.
Still, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is continuing to focus on Harden.
Spoelstra talked about Harden’s impact on the 76ers throughout the season.
“He definitely changes the dynamic,” Spoelstra said. “You’re talking about an MVP player, a guy who can manipulate the game. He can hurt you whether he’s scoring, whether he’s assisting, or whether he’s just manipulating the defense.”
The Heat will host Game 1 on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
