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Wednesday night, James Harden made his home debut for the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers defeated the New York Knicks 123-108, with Harden and superstar center Joel Embiid combining for 53 points. After the game, Embiid was asked he and Harden being compared to all-time greats Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
#Sixers Joel Embiid on he and James Harden being compared to all-time greats like Shaq and Kobe: pic.twitter.com/g5KaU1FHf1
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) March 3, 2022
Embiid gave a pretty honest assessment of the comparison.
“I'm Joel Embiid. I don't play the way Shaq did, you know, dominant in other ways. I'm not physically dominant like he was. You know, he was a freakin monster when he played… obviously Hall of Famer and one of the best ever. But I'm Joel Embiid… I dominate in other ways on the basketball floor as far as doing everything. James does the same thing as far as being a scorer and a play maker.”
Embiid has been playing at an MVP level all season and is currently the front runner in Las Vegas to take home the honors. Meanwhile, Harden's all-around game was on full display Wednesday night for Philadelphia. He picked up nine assists and pulled down nine rebounds to go with his 26 points on 8-13 shooting.
Budding Sixers superstar Tyrese Maxey also played excellent for the Sixers. Maxey scored 25 points on 7-12 shooting. He also knocked down four triples in the win.
That three-headed monster is beginning to look like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. In the three games since Harden began playing with Philadelphia, they have won by 31, 16 and 15 points respectively. Granted, two of those wins were against the Knicks. But this Sixers offense looks nearly unstoppable since Harden arrived.
