76ers' James Harden: Disappears again in closeout game
Rotowire
Harden recorded nine points (3-11 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, seven assists, one block and two steals over 41 minutes during Sunday's 112-88 loss to the Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Harden and Joel Embiid needed standout games to close out the series against Boston, but the duo fell well short of that goal. Harden could only get three shots to fall in what was one of his worst performances of the season. The future-Hall-of-Famer is an undeniable offensive talent, but this will go down as yet another massively disappointing playoff performance for the 33-year-old, who continues to build a reputation as a player who disappears in big games.
Harden supplied 17 points (4-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 8-10 FT), eight rebounds, 10 assists and two steals across 39 minutes during Tuesday's 115-103 win over the Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Harden garnered nearly half of his total point haul from the charity stripe, and while the 17-point output was a far cry from the 76ers' two previous wins in the series, the veteran guard still found other ways to impact the game. Harden ended just two rebounds away from recording what would've been his first triple-double in the current playoffs, and he also recorded double-digit dimes for the fourth time in that span.
