"Taxes, death and James harden vanishing in the postseason", "Don’t ever, EVER put James Harden and Dwyane Wade in the same f**king sentence again!" - Fans show no mercy to Philadelphia 76ers as they lose game 6 to Miami Heat and go out of playoffs
The Philadelphia 76ers' wait for a Conference finals appearance continues following their 4-2 second-round series loss to the Miami Heat in the 2022 NBA playoffs. The Sixers suffered another blowout loss in this series during their Game 6 contest at home.
Miami bagged a 99-90 win to advance to the next round. The Sixers have lost all four of their second-round series in the last five years.
NBA fans didn't miss out on the opportunity to troll the Philadelphia 76ers for their failure to make their mark in the postseason, despite having a championship-caliber roster at their disposal.
James Harden gets brutally trolled online for yet another embarrassing performance in an elimination game
James Harden forced his way out of Houston during the 2020-21 NBA season in the hopes of winning his first ring. The "Beard" went on to play for the Brooklyn Nets, where he teamed up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
The Nets were then regarded as the hot favorites to win it all. However, they succumbed to a 4-3 round two series loss against the eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks. Harden played through a hamstring injury during that contest and wasn't able to play to his potential.
He started the current season with the Nets as well, but after the team experienced a losing stretch, Harden demanded to be traded midseason to the Philadelphia 76ers.
James Harden got off to a solid start in the first four games but could only manage 19 points per contest, shooting a measly 39% from the floor since.
The 32-year-old struggled in the postseason as well. Harden averaged 19.3 points on 40% shooting across 11 playoff games this year. The former MVP was misfiring in the series against the Heat, barring his 30-point outing in Game 4.
James Harden's poor run was arguably the most significant reason behind the Philadelphia 76ers' elimination from the playoffs, and his performance in Game 6 only made things worse for him.
He produced only 11 points on four of nine shooting, not attempting a single free throw during the match. Harden was nowhere to be found in the second half as he returned 0 points during that stretch on 0-for-2 shooting.
Fans couldn't resist taking a dig at him for his performances online. Here's how the NBA world reacted:
Taxes, death and James Harden vanishing in the postseason
Don’t ever, EVER put James Harden and Dwyane Wade in the same fucking sentence again.
and when james harden is miserable, he shows his entire keister. good luck, sixers!
Harden and the Sixers heading to Cancun https://t.co/ZRjp0rfyuV
James Harden should be embarrassed. Embiid is out there with a torn thumb and a broken face battling for position while Harden stares at him and waits.
James Harden is 32 going on 42. Even worse, he just doesn't CARE. He's made tons of $$$ and knows somebody will pay him tons more. He's got his MVP. He's Top 75. Championships never were his thing. Hides under playoff pressure. Supremely skilled nightmare.
In 30 years people will look at James Harden's stats and wonder why he's not ranked higher all-time, but the people who watched him will know why.
the Sixers when Harden asks for a $250 Million supermax extension https://t.co/y3vjvWlpVk
Harden loves the Club 🤣
#ClubShayShay #HotLSpecial https://t.co/xMsDHikixj
Harden in the locker room postgame https://t.co/ef5xkh5CoQ
I want anyone who’s ever even considered the idea that James Harden is even in the same general ballpark area as Kobe Bryant to write all of the rest of us a sincere fucking apology. And make it long.
James Harden’s quest to quit on every team in the NBA should be the next Ocean’s movie
Y’all were comparing Harden and Embiid to Shaq and Kobe 😭😭😭
So you telling me I get to clown Harden, Sixers fans, Doc, and Morey and then we get a new Kendrick album in the same night? https://t.co/oB3qnvHzTW
James Harden on his way to request another trade https://t.co/b4qJTa8cyx
NBA fans mock Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets for their blockbuster trade featuring James Harden and Ben Simmons
James Harden and Ben Simmons swapped teams at the trade deadline leaving fans debating if the Philadelphia 76ers won the trade or the Brooklyn Nets. By the end of the playoffs, everyone in the NBA world seems to have concluded that this blockbuster trade ended up being a lose-lose for both sides.
Simmons didn't play a single game for the Nets this year, while Harden's refusal to shoot in the second half of an elimination game saw fans mock the Sixers for basically not making any progress by replacing Simmons with Harden.
the ben simmons-james harden trade: https://t.co/mhX14CeAjB
James Harden typically no-showed in the second half of this closeout game. Now he's mostly just another Jim Harden. Ben Simmons eventually will make this trade look so phoolish for Philly.
James Harden in the 3rd quarter:
12 minutes
0-1 FG
This is literally Ben Simmons all over again for the Sixers…
Points in the 2nd half tonight:
0 — Ben Simmons
0 — James Harden https://t.co/Ff7YziHPHp
The Sixers moved heaven and earth to acquire James Harden because Ben Simmons wouldn’t shoot the ball with the season on the line, only for Harden not to shoot the ball with the season on the line…cold world, man
The Philadelphia 76ers may have squandered yet another opportunity to surround talisman Joel Embiid with the right pieces to win a championship. They let go of players like Jimmy Butler and Seth Curry in the past and could face difficulties getting anything of real value in a potential James Harden trade if he continues to struggle with age.
It will be interesting to see how this offseason goes, with Harden telling reporters after the game that he intends to stay in Philadelphia. The All-Star guard has a $47 million player option this summer. If he opts out, he will enter free agency.