Win 6 consecutive wins, first in the league! Why are the 76ers stronger without Harden?
On November 9, Beijing time, the NBA ushered in a peak game day after a one-day suspension, with a total of 12 games, and the top battle in the East has attracted much attention, and the Celtics challenged the 76ers away. The 76ers started the first quarter with an 8-2 run, but the Green Army scored 11 straight points and then went on a 5-0 run to complete the comeback, and the Green Army ended the first quarter 27-22 Philadelphia. In the second quarter, the Green Army played 8-2 again, and the margin widened to double digits, and the 76ers did not sit still, scoring nine points in a row and then playing a 9-0 shockwave, and at halftime, the Green Army 54-61 Celtics.
In the second half, the Green Army suddenly attacked dumb fire, scoring only 17 points in a single quarter, and Philadelphia widened the gap to 10 points. In the last quarter, the Green Army fought back frantically at the last moment, with only 4 points in 2 minutes, but Embiid scored 2 key points to stabilize the situation, Porzingis missed three points, and Philadelphia narrowly won. Full time, Green 103-106 Philadelphia. After this game, the Green Army fell to second place in the East with 5 wins and 2 losses, while the 76ers won 6 wins and 1 losses and rose to first place in the East.
Last season, with Harden, Embiid won the first MVP of his career, and the 76ers are also regarded as one of the strong teams in the championship. But after losing to the Celtics, there was a big problem within the team, and Harden and Tucker were traded away as a result. Although Harden was not selected as an All-Star last season, he was also a player at the level of 20 points and 10 assists. With 6 consecutive wins, why is there no Harden in the league, but the 76ers are stronger?
In this wave of 6 consecutive wins, the 76ers have weak teams like the Wizards, but there are also strong teams like the Suns and Celtics, and before the 6 consecutive wins, they lost to the Bucks by 1 point in the opener, and Lillard exploded in that game to score 39 points and hit key shots, and the 76ers only lost. Since the season, the 76ers have ranked 2nd in the league in offensive efficiency and 5th in defensive efficiency, and have achieved the ultimate in both offensive and defensive ends, averaging 21.7 points per game on fast break, which is the first in the league.
Although there is no Harden, the 76ers have 25.7 assists as a team, which is 0.5 more than last season, Embiid and Marx have improved their assists a lot, and the new starting point guard Melton is also very good at passing. Although Harden has a lot of assists, he needs to carry a lot of the ball, which often brings the game to a standstill, and now the 76ers, all the players are running more aggressively, and the offense is obviously smoother. Not only assists, but also scoring and shooting percentage, the 76ers are also higher than last season.
The 76ers' weak forward line suddenly became full because of the Harden trade, with more Oubre, Batum and Covington than last season, and Morris Jr. In today's game, it is a good way to limit the play of the Green Army's double probe. Embiid led the forward group and created a very tight defense. Maxey has improved a lot, averaging 20 points per game last season and 25.4 points per game this season while shooting 48 percent from the field, which is quite good among guards. So now the 76ers' backcourt is not weak offensively.
Therefore, so far in the new season, the strength shown by the 76ers is indeed stronger than last season, and of course it is not all because of Harden's departure. Coach Nas's ability is definitely much stronger than that of Rivers Sr., with very rich tactics and stronger on-the-spot adaptability. Rivers Sr. is a chicken soup type coach, and it is okay to motivate the players, but the tactics and building the system are really not good, which has been verified many times. The on-the-spot command is even worse, often staying on the sidelines and not coping.