Sixers' James Harden Knows He Has To Make Offensive Adjustments For Game 2

Harden only had four points in the second half of Game 1.

Without his sidekick, Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden knew he needed to play at a higher level. 

It did not goes as he expected. 

Harden struggled in the second half of the Sixers' loss to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Philadelphia needed a big effort from Harden because All-Star center Joel Embiid was sidelined with an fractured orbital bone. He will miss Game 2 as well, so Harden knows he needs to make adjustments for Wednesday. 

“I think I could be a little more aggressive,” Harden said. “They did a really good job of showing their bodies, crowding the ball. We’ll watch film and find ways to get better, but I think shot making is what opens the floor for our entire team. We make a couple of shots and that opens it up even more.”

Harden had 16 points, but only scored four in the second half. He shot 38 percent, including 1 of 5 and two turnovers the final 24 minutes. 

The Heat threw a curve by defending Harden with forward P.J. Tucker. The two were once teammates with the Houston Rockets. 

"He’s been on the same team as James, so he knows his tendencies better than anybody else on our team," Heat center Bam Adebayo said. "It just shows the sacrifice that he’s willing to give up. Picking up 94 feet is not easy in the NBA, especially playing 30 minutes a game. It’s just the utmost respect for him.”

Even when Embiid returns, Tucker will likely remain on Harden the rest of the series. 

“They need him to be [Harden]," Tucker said. "It is my job to try to make it tough, but he is going to score, and he is going to take shots and be aggressive. I am just going to try to make it tough.”

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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.