James Harden discusses his future after Sixers fall to Celtics in Game 7
Harden #Harden
BOSTON–The Philadelphia 76ers had their 2022-23 season end the same way it has for five of the previous six seasons now: in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Sixers were ambushed in the third quarter by the Boston Celtics in Game 7 as the Cs outscored them 33-10 and then cruised to a 112-88 win over the Sixers. This is the third consecutive semifinal exit for Philadelphia.
The Celtics received a Game 7 record 51 points out of Jayson Tatum as he showed up for Boston. James Harden, unfortunately for the Sixers, did not.
Harden had only nine points on 3-for-11 shooting with six rebounds and seven assists. As the attention now turns to the offseason, Harden can opt out of his current deal and enter free agency in the summer.
“I haven’t even thought about it,” Harden admitted after the loss.
The future Hall of Famer sacrificed a lot in the 2022-23 season. He gave up a lot in terms of money and his role and he played second fiddle to Joel Embiid in order to make things work. He discussed all of those sacrifices after the sweep over the Brooklyn Nets in Round 1.
“We’re in the second round,” Harden scoffed when asked if the sacrifices worked. “So I mean, it’s no different.”
The Sixers had a helluva year. They were terrific on the floor as they earned the No. 3 seed in the East following a 54-28 record. Harden and Embiid were terrific on the offensive end and the role players fell into their spots on the floor.
They just weren’t able to get it done again. Especially, after having Game 6 at home with a chance to get the job done and not have to go back to Boston for Game 7.
“I’m very, very disappointed,” The Beard added. “Very frustrated. It’s a lot I want to say, but it’s frustrating.”
When asked about his relationship with coach Doc Rivers, Harden kept it rather brief: “Our relationship is OK.”
Harden then also kept it brief when asked about the key for him when it comes to his future.
“I just wanna have a chance to obviously compete,” he finished. “Yeah. Compete.”
Now that the season is done, this will be one very interesting offseason for Harden and the Sixers.
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