Reporting from Philadelphia
James Harden opened up about the importance of Joel Embiid returning to the Philadelphia 76ers lineup in Games 3 and 4 vs the Miami Heat.
Harden admitted Embiid playing in Games 3 and 4 was the X-Factor for the Sixers in their effort to even the series.
“That’s the key [point to Joel]. That’s the MVP of the league. I mean, credit to our guys, we had the right mindset going in to both Games [1 and 2]. It’s difficult without Jo… to win and make shots.
We didn’t make shots the first two games, if we made shots, it’s probably a different ballgame. But we still had that confidence going into Game 3 knowing that we can beat these guys.
Obviously bringing Jo back was the X-factor, but our confidence level remained high and we just kept that same swagger going into Game 3 and then going into Game 4 as well.
We’ve got to put a full game together in Game 5 – thinking about it now. We’ve got to put a full game together on both ends of the ball to be able to go out there and get a win,” James Harden told accredited media after Game 4 win (116-108).
James Harden (31 points) and Joel Embiid (24 points) combined for 55 points for the winners. With the series tied (2-2), Game 5 takes place on Tuesday night in Miami.
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