James Harden should feel pressured to help carry the 76ers to the finals. 1:45
James Harden said he isn't feeling any pressure to perform well for his new team as they prepare to face the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs.
Harden said after Thursday's practice at the team's facility that he felt good. There is nothing to it.
The Raptors gave Harden fits in the two meetings between the two teams following the blockbuster trade that saw him come to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons. Harden shot a combined 8-for-24 from the field and 1-for-8 from 3-point range in the two games, both of which came with Toronto All-Star Fred VanVleet and forward OG Anunoby watching in street clothes.
Harden said the Raptors are a tough opponent because of their activity and togetherness defensively, as well as having a roster full of long-limbed athletes.
Harden said that they play extremely hard. The game is kind of junked up by them. They have a lot of tall, athletic, long and solid defenders. They use their length well and have each other back. They run around, they scramble, and they fly around defensively, so for us we have to execute, making sure we are crisp in our passes and if the shot is available, take it.
Harden will have to play at the level Philadelphia hoped he would when they acquired him. The Raptors are going to throw double- and triple-teams at him to get the ball out of his hands and require his teammates to step up and make plays instead, according to Philadelphia's other superstar.
He said that he is fine with that, and that he will not be looking to score in this series, but rather make sure his teammates are involved.
They are going to get the ball out of my hands. It is all about me not getting frustrated and trusting my teammates over and over and just making the right plays. It starts with me, so long as we're scoring. I have to make my teammates better because they are going to throw attention at me.
Harden needs to block out the noise about his previous playoff struggles. In his career, Harden has had several rough playoff exits, including a Game 6 loss to the San Antonio Spurs and a Game 7 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
The co-star needs to be himself, and let everything else take care of itself.
I tell him to be himself. We need him to be aggressive and score the ball, especially against Toronto, as he has been doing a great job of being the leader. We need Tyrese to be aggressive with the attention that will be on me and James. The other guys have to make plays. He has to be himself, and not worry about people talking about pressure. He had to play against a dynasty in order to accomplish what he did. It would have been difficult to beat those Golden State teams. I am sure it will be fine.
Both Harden and Embiid are going into the playoffs healthy. He wasn't fully healthy, but he's feeling good, and Harden said the nagging injuries that have plagued him since last season aren't an issue at the moment.
Harden said it was a good week to prepare for the first round.
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