Tim Legler says the Ben Simmons-James Harden trade has made 76ers vs Nets the best rivalry in the NBA: “We are praying we get this in the playoffs”
The trade involving NBA superstars Ben Simmons and James Harden has been the main topic of conversation for a while now.
Appearing on ESPN's morning show Get Up, former NBA player Tim Legler spoke about how this has all the makings to be the best rivalry in the league at the moment because of the sheer bad blood between the teams and the players. Legler said:
"I think the day that trade went down, this became the best rivalry in the NBA and they hadn't even played yet. Because the league doesn't really have great rivalries anymore. This on paper could be. We are praying we get this in the playoffs as a seven-game series."
Simmons and Harden left their former teams in unceremonious fashion as things got really toxic towards the end but both the teams essentially improved one another with this trade and this is one of those very rare occasions where both the parties walked away happy.
Can James Harden and Ben Simmons have the best rivalry in the game?
With Ben Simmons not having played a single minute this season, it has been over 250 days since his last NBA game. The game against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 10th would have been an opportunity for Simmons to return to the place he called home for four years.
It also provides him with an opportunity to face the fans that have heckled and lambasted him ever since Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks last season.
Ben Simmons will not play in Thursday’s Nets-76ers – but is expected to make the return trip to Philadelphia and join team on bench inside Wells Fargo Center, sources say. More: https://t.co/3orGREnaX8
James Harden, meanwhile, has taken to his teammates like a duck to the water as he has seamlessly gelled with his superstar teammate Joel Embiid and the rest of the 76ers players.
The pick and roll run by Embiid and James Harden are as lethal as they get and this could be a problem for the rest of the NBA. He is also an excellent orchestrator of the offense and would bring the likes of Tyrese Maxey and others into the game.
Congrats to @JHarden13 of the @sixers for moving up to 9th on the All-Time FREE THROWS MADE list! #NBA75 https://t.co/kgSPPrGQcb
The game on March 10th could have been a statement game for Simmons. He could prove his doubters wrong in Philly and truly establish the legitimacy of the Brooklyn Nets' championship aspirations. But the flipside is that it could also be a game where he could crumble under pressure.
Either way, Ben Simmons will have to brace himself as the road to the NBA Finals in all likelihood will have to go through Philadelphia and his return to Wells Fargo Center in the postseason could be as hostile as it gets.
With all that said, the James Harden and Ben Simmons rivalry could be the best rivalry in the league, but we are yet to see how both the teams are truly capable off with health and team chemistry still a question mark.