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- James Harden was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers at the trade deadline.
- Following the trade, the Sixers became one of the favorites to win the NBA title.
- ESPN analyst Tim Legler recently took issue with Harden sitting out big games.
During the Tuesday morning episode of ESPN’s Get Up, NBA analyst Tim Legler ripped into James Harden for skipping Monday night’s game against the Miami Heat, who are the top-seeded team in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Legler argues that Harden’s decision to rest during a marquee match is not only “disrespectful to the league and the fans,” but it’s actually hurting the Philadelphia 76ers as it prevents them from being able to learn how to win big games with both Harden and presumed MVP Joel Embiid on the floor.
Despite not playing Harden or Embiid, the Sixers were still able to beat the Heat by a score of 113 to 106 thanks to Tyrese Maxey’s 28 points.
“I hate it, I really do. It’s disrespectful to the league, to the fans. And it renders the regular season meaningless with as many games as guys miss. And I understand what they’re trying to do, but this is the second time James Harden has sat against the Heat since he got to Philly. I don’t really get what that’s about,” Legler began.
“Look, you go out and you win the game, and that’s great. Tyrese Maxey was incredible, but are you really supposed to take a lot out of that? No, because the guys that played great last night and had opportunities are not going to have the same opportunities when Harden and Embiid come back and play. I don’t take a lot out of it. I think the Heat were caught a little bit flat-footed by that decision. They weren’t really ready to defend those guys the way that they played,” Legler reasoned.
Furthermore, Legler argued that despite the seemingly big victory, Legler isn’t taking much away from the game due to the fact that neither of Philly’s Big Two played.
“I don’t take a lot out of them winning that game without their two stars. They’ve got to figure out how to close games with these two guys against a marquee defense and that’s why I wanted to see them on the court last night against Miami. They need to beat a team like that and they need to figure out how to play together in tight moments, because that has been an issue for them so far. And you’re running out of time in the regular season. But I guess rest is the almighty in this league and that’s all that really matters. But I’m disgusted by it because I think fans that wanted to go down and see that game last night and anticipated it for a long time didn’t get to see their two stars plays.”
With 11 games left in the regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers currently sit at 44-27, which makes them the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference. At this time, the Sixers boast +700 odds to win this season’s NBA title, which puts them tied for fourth with the Milwaukee Bucks and trailing the Phoenix Suns (+350), Golden State Warriors (+450), and the Brooklyn Nets (+650).
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