The Philadelphia 76ers are two games into the James Harden era and the play has been must-see tv.
Harden, who has averaged 28/14/9 thus far, has fit in seamlessly with this team, as the Sixers have rolled through their first two opponents with the Beard running the show. So far, all our wildest dreams have been as advertised, as Philly fans have finally got their wish of seeing the 2018 MVP in a Sixers uniform.
Tonight, Harden will make his home debut against the New York Knicks in front of a full capacity Sixers crowd ready to blow the roof off the place. The atmosphere will be absolutely electric, as over 20,000 strong will be ready to welcome the newest Sixer and usher in new era of Sixers basketball.
Now, even though we’ve seen him play several games, there are still times where the statement “James Harden is a Sixer” doesn’t seem real. As if the years of suffering and heartbreak have diluted us fans to the point where we’re still not sold.
And it’s not like we haven’t seen this team trade for a superstar before. When the Sixers got Jimmy Butler for instance, there definitely was a buzz in the city, but it was new feeling to us since it was the first major trade post-process era. The Sixers were also still figuring themselves out as they made the playoffs the year prior for the first time since 2012.
That year, Joel Embiid was only 24 and Ben Simmons was in his second year in the league, so again, we were still feeling it out.
But fast forward to now and there’s something about the James Harden trade that still seems so surreal.
Maybe it’s because this team is in its best window to compete in years, and we finally pulled the trigger without giving up our young talent.
Maybe it’s because we have finally rid ourselves of the Ben Simmons drama that loomed since the summer.
Or maybe it’s because we finally got the guy that we’ve begged to pair with our homegrown MVP favorite in Joel Embiid.
At long last, we have the perfect complement to our superstar center, who is in the midst of playing the best basketball of his career.
A match made in heaven where the pick-and-roll and spacing seem to work to perfection. Where two experts at their craft get to show off their mastery and work off one another with ease.
Two top 10 players in the league sit atop our depth chart, a dream we only thought was possible in our heads through pipe dream lottery luck and trade machine simulators.
Tonight, it all becomes real. The final installment of “Happy Harden Day” is here.
James Harden, the 10x All-Star, 3x Scoring champion, 2018 MVP, and top 75 player of all-time is a Philadelphia 76er and the city can’t wait to welcome him tonight with open arms and brotherly love.
(Catch the Beard’s home debut tonight at 7:30pm EST. on ESPN and NBC Sports Philadelphia. Or tune in on the radio at 97.5 The Fanatic)
