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James Harden Lights Up NBA Twitter with Vintage Showcase in 76ers' Loss to Celtics

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVOctober 19, 2022

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 18: James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics on October 18, 2022 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

James Harden was listening.

There were questions after his 2021-22 season about whether he had lost a step or whether his prime years were a thing of the past after he didn't appear to be his vintage self following his trade to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Harden sure looked like his old self on Tuesday night, putting up 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a season-opening 126-117 loss to the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.

Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

VINTAGE Harden step-back 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/NzEIWca4nm">pic.twitter.com/NzEIWca4nm</a>

Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

JAMES HARDEN 😱 <a href="https://t.co/rgwqUXwoS8">pic.twitter.com/rgwqUXwoS8</a>

Philly fans won't be thrilled with the loss to a hated rival. Nonetheless, seeing Harden play at an extremely high level was a good sign.

And the NBA community noticed:

nba paint @nba_paint

Flames Harden. <a href="https://t.co/9ZFdDUNu55">pic.twitter.com/9ZFdDUNu55</a>

Paul Hudrick @PaulHudrick

Lots of encouraging stuff from James Harden tonight. Already a bunch of threes and we just saw a floater and a midrange pull-up. Still plenty to figure out, but a great sign going forward.

James Harden Lights Up NBA Twitter with Vintage Showcase in 76ers' Loss to Celtics
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MarkJonesESPN @MarkJonesESPN

This is as good as I’ve seen Harden since he was working with <a href="https://twitter.com/irv_roland?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@irv_roland</a> 💯. Real ones know !

Hardwood Paroxysm @HPbasketball

Whew what a pass by Harden in pick and roll. Again, I think he manipulates defensive positioning better than any player in the league.

Dan Devine @YourManDevine

Check out the midrange game on Hesi Pullup Jimbo Harden over here

Molly Morrison @mollyhannahm

first quarter of the first game of the season and harden is drawing fouls by sticking his leg out. nature is healing

Shea Serrano @SheaSerrano

james harden baiting a defender into a fouling him on a 3 the nba is back babyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Tyrone Johnson @TyJohnsonNews

Defense is hard in the NBA when you have new pieces. Biggest thing from the Sixers game is that James Harden looked great. They'll build on this one

Heck, even Harden's misses caused a ripple online:

Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

The Harden shimmy, the brick, the Marcus Smart flop...<br><br>NBA is back 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/eV2DucHcI9">pic.twitter.com/eV2DucHcI9</a>

John Karalis 🇬🇷 🇺🇦 @John_Karalis

James Harden shimmying after Smart went down and firing up an airball was absolutely electric

karms @IanKarmel

Harden Shimmy-Bricking like every opening message I ever sent on Tinder.

Zach Harper @talkhoops

The Harden shimmy and the horrific miss 😂😂😂😂😂

The Sixers will have plenty to work out after Tuesday's tough loss. The defense was poor—which is a nice way of putting it—and allowed Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (35 points each) to basically score at will.

Joel Embiid had solid counting stats (26 points, 15 rebounds, five assists) but was loose with the ball, turning it over six times, and didn't look particularly effective as a defender.

In the grand scheme of things, Tuesday's loss was one game of 82. The defense should stabilize somewhat as a slew of new players added in the offseason, like P.J. Tucker, Danuel House, De'Anthony Melton and Montrezl Harrell, learn to play together.

Doc Rivers will get a better handle on the rotations. You wouldn't bet on Embiid having a net rating of minus-13 like he had on Tuesday very often.

The bigger story, then, was Harden's performance. He looked like the player we saw with the Houston Rockets and briefly with the Brooklyn Nets when he first arrived. And if the Sixers get that version of Harden going forward, they will be a force to be reckoned with this season.

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May 21 12:30 am
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