The 2022 MLB postseason is heating up, so James Harden can be excused for using a baseball term to describe his thoughts about the upcoming 2022-23 NBA season for the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers kick off their season Tuesday night on the road at TD Garden against the reigning and defending Eastern Conference champions, Boston Celtics.

“Like I said, we gotta hit singles, James Harden said about his outlook for the Sixers, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“We are just looking game by game. Obviously, we start off at Boston, which is going to be a tough challenge for us. But it’s about the long run.”

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The Sixers faced off with the Celtics four times last season, but James Harden did not play in any of those contests. Philly went 2-2 versus Boston in those meetings.

James Harden can continue playing down the upcoming showdown with the Celtics, but he is not going to stop NBA fans from making a huge deal about this early season clash between two NBA title contenders. Harden, who signed a two-year deal worth $68.64 million in July 2022 with the Sixers, is going to be playing a major role for the team alongside superstar center Joel Embiid. The tandem of James Harden and Joel Embiid is a home run in the eyes of most NBA fans, but it's a pairing that will ultimately be judged by what they would accomplish with the Sixers, who finished the last season with a 51-31 record and reached the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.