"James needs the championship, he needs it" - Shaquille O'Neal concerned about the Philadelphia 76ers heading into the NBA playoffs
The Philadelphia 76ers suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of the lowly Detroit Pistons last Thursday night. The Sixers fell to 2.5 games behind the number one spot in the East with a 46-30 record and six games remaining in the regular season.
In the postgame show of NBA on TNT, the crew of Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, Jamal Crawford and Adam Lefkoe discussed the Sixers' 102-94 loss to the Pistons. O'Neal revealed that he is worried about James Harden, Joel Embiid and the Sixers, with the playoffs less than three weeks away.
"I'm worried about those two because you had a short amount of time to figure it out. It should have been figured out by now. Everyone knows to become a champion, beat the team you're supposed to beat. Six games left, we supposed to beat Detroit,"O'Neal said.
Shaquille O'Neal added that James Harden needs to win a championship. O'Neal called Harden a great player, but pointed out that any great player needs a ring on their resume.
"James [Harden] needs a championship. He needs it. He don't really need it for his legacy and career, but you know, as a player that's been touted as great, you want to have a championship under your belt," O'Neal said.
Meanwhile, Jamal Crawford believes James Harden needs to step up, while Tobias Harris is the X-factor. For Dwyane Wade, Joel Embiid should take over games because he's the MVP of the Philadelphia 76ers. Wade added that Embiid needs to finish strong in order to have a strong chance of winning the NBA MVP.
NBA.com’s updated MVP Ladder:
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Joel Embiid
4. Jayson Tatum
5. Devin Booker
6. Luka Doncic
7. DeMar DeRozan
8. Ja Morant
9. Kevin Durant
10. Karl-Anthony Towns
Should the Philadelphia 76ers be worried?
The Philadelphia 76ers were in control for the first three quarters against the Detroit Pistons. However, the Sixers were outplayed and outscored in the fourth quarter by the Pistons, 29-15. It was an embarrassing loss for Philly as it came against one of the worst teams in the league.
But should the Sixers be worried? They should if they continue losing in their final six games of the season. Philly will face the Pistons in their final game of the season, while also battling the Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers twice.
Another thing the Sixers should worry about is head coach Doc Rivers seemingly throwing James Harden under the bus in the postgame interview. Rivers appeared to have called out Harden for his poor performance, while defending the second unit for playing badly.
"Well, they didn't struggle. They didn't get a lot of shots in their defense. I think during that stretch, it was more James than them. So you know, yeah, it's just a tough night," Rivers said.
Doc Rivers says James Harden is the problem on the #Sixers #NBATwitter https://t.co/bJVI2lw9bV
Drama is one thing the Sixers do not need heading into the playoffs. They are in position to compete for the title this season, but they have to play together to accomplish their goals.