Embiid criticizes Harden, 76ers

After acquiring James Harden at the trade deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers were hoping this would finally be the year they would break through and make the conference finals, and beyond, in the NBA playoffs.

Instead, for the fourth time in five years, Philadelphia saw their season come to an end in the second round Thursday night, losing 99-90 to the Miami Heat. Harden was a non-factor in the game, taking just nine shots, two of them in the second half, and scoring 11 points.

That led Joel Embiid to say the 76ers didn’t get the version of Harden that won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award and finished in the top three in the voting three other times, in the transaction, and that he, and the rest of the 76ers, weren’t aggressive enough throughout the series.

“Since we got him, everybody expected the James Harden of Houston,” Embiid said. “But it’s not him anymore. He’s more of a playmaker. I thought, at times, he could have been, like all of us, more aggressive. All of us, whether it’s Tyrese [Maxey] or Tobias [ Harris] or the guys coming off the bench.

“And I don’t just mean on offense. I mean, you know, offense and defense as a whole. I didn’t think we were good defensively as a team. They took advantage of a lot of things that we tried to do defensively. And then offensively, everybody really being on the same page, obviously, just having probably what, three or four months to all work together and try to figure it out. Maybe it wasn’t a long time. … I don’t think we played our best basketball.”

The 76ers certainly didn’t play their best basketball in Games 5 and 6 of this series, when the Heat successfully ran them off the court twice in a row to close out the series after Philadelphia won Games 3 and 4 here at the Wells Fargo Center to even the contest.

Throughout a wide-ranging interview, which served as both a postgame discussion and an exit interview for the upcoming offseason, Embiid said the loss could not be attributed to any one player and that it was a moment that required everyone on the roster to look in the mirror and find ways to improve.

“Everybody has to get better,” Embiid said. “It’s not just about me or [Harden]. From 1-15, there’s a reason we lost to Miami. That means we weren’t all good enough. So we all have to get better.”

In addition, Embiid reaffirmed his affection for Heat star Jimmy Butler, his teammate for a few months here three years ago before joining Miami that offseason.

In fact, it was three years ago Thursday that Philadelphia’s season ended in Game 7 at Toronto on a Kawhi Leonard layup, the only time Embiid and Butler played together in the playoffs. Embiid admitted he wished he had had more opportunities to play in the postseason with Butler.

“Obviously, that’s my guy,” Embiid said. “That’s my brother. Oh, man, it’s tough. But I’m really proud of him. He’s playing at an unreal level right now. He’s something else right now. I’m proud that he’s at this level, carrying them and for what he’s been able to do. They’ve had ups and downs all season. They were missing players, they’re not healthy, and yet they found a way to be the No. 1 team in the East, and to be able to come in and do what they did, they deserve a lot of credit. They have a great team. And obviously a great coach and a great front-offense. So a lot of credit to them.”

“Like I said, I’m happy for him. I mean, I’m not going to sit here and say I don’t wish he was my teammate. I still don’t know how we let him go. I wish I could have gone to battle with him. But it is what it is. I just have to keep trying to reach that goal.”

While Embiid isn’t playing with Butler, he’s playing with Harden, who saw another disappointing postseason end with his disappearing act in Game 6. Harden took just two shots in the second half, with the second coming very late in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided.

When asked what caused him to disappear offensively, Harden said, “We ran our offense. The ball just didn’t come back to me.”

But when it came to his future in Philadelphia, Harden had more to say. With a $47 million player option this offseason, Harden has the option to exercise it and secure that money, exercise it and extend with the 76ers, or decline it and sign elsewhere or sign a new deal.

Whichever option he chooses, however, Harden said he will choose to play here.

“I’ll be here,” Harden said.