Sixers’ James Harden passes Wilt Chamberlain for 20th on the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring list

The Philadelphia 76ers secured a crucial victory on Tuesday night when they shocked the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the teams’ second-round series, 115-103. After trailing 1-2 in the series just a few days ago, the Sixers are suddenly up 3-2 and will have a chance to close things out at home in Game 6 on Thursday. 

In the process, James Harden reached an impressive milestone by passing Wilt Chamberlain for 20th place on the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring list. Harden now has 3,615 career playoff points and is only 27 points behind Scottie Pippen for 18th place. Depending on how long the Sixers’ playoff run lasts, moving into the top-15 this season is not at all out of the question; Hakeem Olajuwon holds that spot with 3,755 points. 

The historic bucket came with 10:49 to play in the second quarter, when Harden used a screen to burrow his way into the lane, then hit a mid-range jumper. 

Harden didn’t score anywhere near as much as he did in Game 4, but he didn’t need to because the Sixers’ role players stepped up. In any case, he still finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists and helped the Sixers control the pace of the game with his pick-and-roll play. 

While Harden’s playoff struggles have been well documented, they are more about singular games and moments than overall production. For as much (deserved) flack as he’s gotten in his career, he has never missed the playoffs and averages 22.9 points in his 158 games. And those numbers are skewed by his first three seasons, when he came off the bench for the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Even better news for Harden is he now has perhaps his best chance to end his playoff woes. He’s already hit two game-winners in this series alone and has the Sixers within one game of the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001. And if they can close out the Celtics, they will be the favorites against either the Miami Heat or New York Knicks.