PHILADELPHIA — If there was any doubt about the rejuvenated state of James Harden’s 33-year-old body, it disappeared with 6:30 left in the second quarter of the Sixers’ 121-101 win over the Nets on Saturday afternoon. It was at that moment that Harden unleashed a stepback move so strong and instantaneous that it knocked Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie a full five feet backwards simply from the change of direction. By the time Dinwiddie could recover, Harden was already elevating into his jumpshot, a smooth 26-footer that caught nothing but net and gave the Sixers a seven point lead.
It was a small moment against an overmatched opponent whom few will remember by the end of this postseason. But it was important for what it showed. This year, the Sixers have a player who can actually do the things that Harden is supposed to do.
Really, you saw it throughout the Sixers’ brilliant offensive performance against the Nets. He scored 23 points, attempted 21 shots, sank seven of his 13 attempts from 3-point range. In short, he was a difference-maker, the kind of player who can carry a team for long stretches of a postseason game, a legitimate primary scorer whose presence greatly reduced the need for Joel Embiid to carry a full load.
