James Harden was downright awful last night as the Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs. Harden finished the game with just 11 points and nine assists, and he couldn't even score a single point in the second half, much less get off more than just two shots. It was a truly head-scratching performance that had some people wondering whether or not Harden is actually serious about playing basketball anymore.
Stephen A. Smith was particularly on Harden's case last night and this morning. The First Take host went especially hard last night claiming that Harden needs to be investigated at this point. In fact, Smith believes Harden may have been playing bad just so that he could get Doc Rivers fired.
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"That performance by James Harden requires an investigation. How in God’s name you go 22 minutes in the second half and attempt one shot. It was a horrific performance. Anemic and impotent performance by James Harden," Smith said. "And I’m really interested in seeing what the Philadelphia 76ers are going to do with Doc Rivers because I smell something and it don’t smell right at all."
The Sixers were a promising team this year and Harden was supposed to get them over the hump. Unfortunately, they will now have to wait another year to see if they can truly do anything worthwhile.
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