James Harden had one of the most inexplicable performances in playoffs history on Thursday night as the Sixers were eliminated by the Miami Heat in their second-round series. It's unfathomable to imagine Harden taking just two attempts in the entire second half of a do-or-die game. And yet, that's exactly what happened.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith is having none of this. The renowned broadcaster just dropped a wild conspiracy theory about Harden intentionally playing badly in order to get Sixers head coach Doc Rivers fired:
“Is James Harden really that bad?” Smith asked (h/t Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire). “… If things don’t work out, Doc Rivers gonna be gone and Mike D’Antoni is gonna be in there. Who wants Mike D’Antoni as the coach? We all know. Daryl Morey is one of them. James Harden is another. Is that gonna happen if James Harden is looking all-world? Is that gonna happen if Philadelphia’s winning.”
Harden has a longstanding relationship with former coach Mike D'Antoni and according to Stephen A, he's the coach Harden wants in Philadelphia. It also helps that Sixers general manager Daryl Morey has also worked with D'Antoni in the past.
“I’m not trying to sit up there saying that brother playing bad on purpose, what I’m saying to y’all is this, when you are devoid of the passion and the enthusiasm to do something, does it not affect your play your play?” Smith said.
For what it's worth, Morey has already said that Rivers' job is secure and that the Sixers have no intention of firing Doc Rivers. Then again, you never know.
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