bull @ sixer . 7PM EST

[Stanford]

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Harden has great comedic timing, he should be in commercials

[Foshan]

Actually Tobias defense was pretty sound in that game. Granted not 40M good, but he had some strips (that we didn’t recover) and some decent man pressure.

Lol I’m a glass half full guy.

[Black Mage]

"Right Here at the WELLZ FARGO CENTER WITH TYRESE MAXEY!" God she's so annoying...Kate

They need to rethink their broadcast team. Alaa is intolerable. I don't know if Kate can improve or would improve if they actually paired her with someone that brings some actual insight to the game.

[Stanford]

Actually Tobias defense was pretty sound in that game. Granted not 40M good, but he had some strips (that we didn’t recover) and some decent man pressure.

Lol I’m a glass half full guy.

The funny bit is that he tried to use Tobias's FGM/A, checked his stats, and then shouted out his defense.

Doing his best with what he's working with.

[Black Mage]

I've been saying this for a while, but not many have responded. Have y'all seen how many minutes Harden is playing. Nash was running him into the ground. It's not better here in PHilly. His 5 games, he's played 35, 39, 36, 36 and 38 minutes... Ummm, I was assuming he would be around 32 maybe 33. Hell keep him at 34. But averaging 36.8 mpg with a player that is having hamstring issues is really not good.

Just so you know, Harden historically plays 36-37 minutes. Dude loves to play. The national media just made up the narrative that he was lazy or didn't want to play/be on the court.

You have to look at the intensity of the minutes. James isn't having to carry the team or offense. He's got a lot of easy possessions just dribbling and dishing. He's not having to constantly beat his man or beat doubles.

I also wonder if it's better to have guys play these minutes now so when playoffs come and they play 40 mins it's not a shock to the body.

[eyeatoma]

I've been saying this for a while, but not many have responded. Have y'all seen how many minutes Harden is playing. Nash was running him into the ground. It's not better here in PHilly. His 5 games, he's played 35, 39, 36, 36 and 38 minutes... Ummm, I was assuming he would be around 32 maybe 33. Hell keep him at 34. But averaging 36.8 mpg with a player that is having hamstring issues is really not good.

Just so you know, Harden historically plays 36-37 minutes. Dude loves to play. The national media just made up the narrative that he was lazy or didn't want to play/be on the court.

You have to look at the intensity of the minutes. James isn't having to carry the team or offense. He's got a lot of easy possessions just dribbling and dishing. He's not having to constantly beat his man or beat doubles.

I also wonder if it's better to have guys play these minutes now so when playoffs come and they play 40 mins it's not a shock to the body.

Yeah fair enough, could be right. Just worried lol.

[Black Mage]

I've been saying this for a while, but not many have responded. Have y'all seen how many minutes Harden is playing. Nash was running him into the ground. It's not better here in PHilly. His 5 games, he's played 35, 39, 36, 36 and 38 minutes... Ummm, I was assuming he would be around 32 maybe 33. Hell keep him at 34. But averaging 36.8 mpg with a player that is having hamstring issues is really not good.

Just so you know, Harden historically plays 36-37 minutes. Dude loves to play. The national media just made up the narrative that he was lazy or didn't want to play/be on the court.

You have to look at the intensity of the minutes. James isn't having to carry the team or offense. He's got a lot of easy possessions just dribbling and dishing. He's not having to constantly beat his man or beat doubles.

I also wonder if it's better to have guys play these minutes now so when playoffs come and they play 40 mins it's not a shock to the body.

Yeah fair enough, could be right. Just worried lol.

I know what you mean, but I don think hammies and the body are more at risk of injury if pushed beyond what its used to. Makes sense since a lot of sports do things like pitch counts or snaps ramp ups until the players body is back and used to the strain of a heavy load.

They will probably be able to rest guys the last game or two or they will at least get a break while the play-ins are played.

My bigger concern is the continued malaise this team comes out with when playing at home. I am only half joking when I think they should tank to be the road team in a series.

[Arsenal]

I've been saying this for a while, but not many have responded. Have y'all seen how many minutes Harden is playing. Nash was running him into the ground. It's not better here in PHilly. His 5 games, he's played 35, 39, 36, 36 and 38 minutes... Ummm, I was assuming he would be around 32 maybe 33. Hell keep him at 34. But averaging 36.8 mpg with a player that is having hamstring issues is really not good.

Just so you know, Harden historically plays 36-37 minutes. Dude loves to play. The national media just made up the narrative that he was lazy or didn't want to play/be on the court.

You have to look at the intensity of the minutes. James isn't having to carry the team or offense. He's got a lot of easy possessions just dribbling and dishing. He's not having to constantly beat his man or beat doubles.

I also wonder if it's better to have guys play these minutes now so when playoffs come and they play 40 mins it's not a shock to the body.

Agree. Load management should be select games off, like B2B’s. When he plays 36 mpg is fine.

[76ciology]

I've been saying this for a while, but not many have responded. Have y'all seen how many minutes Harden is playing. Nash was running him into the ground. It's not better here in PHilly. His 5 games, he's played 35, 39, 36, 36 and 38 minutes... Ummm, I was assuming he would be around 32 maybe 33. Hell keep him at 34. But averaging 36.8 mpg with a player that is having hamstring issues is really not good.

Just so you know, Harden historically plays 36-37 minutes. Dude loves to play. The national media just made up the narrative that he was lazy or didn't want to play/be on the court.

You have to look at the intensity of the minutes. James isn't having to carry the team or offense. He's got a lot of easy possessions just dribbling and dishing. He's not having to constantly beat his man or beat doubles.

I also wonder if it's better to have guys play these minutes now so when playoffs come and they play 40 mins it's not a shock to the body.

+100

He’s on cruise most times then is very selective on when to take over. Kind of how Jimmy played with us back then but he’s 10x better.

For now, I think he has lose some explosiveness that he can’t get you a string of 40+ games like pre-Nets days, but he’s still very good

[mjkvol]

I've been saying this for a while, but not many have responded. Have y'all seen how many minutes Harden is playing. Nash was running him into the ground. It's not better here in PHilly. His 5 games, he's played 35, 39, 36, 36 and 38 minutes... Ummm, I was assuming he would be around 32 maybe 33. Hell keep him at 34. But averaging 36.8 mpg with a player that is having hamstring issues is really not good.

Just so you know, Harden historically plays 36-37 minutes. Dude loves to play. The national media just made up the narrative that he was lazy or didn't want to play/be on the court.

You have to look at the intensity of the minutes. James isn't having to carry the team or offense. He's got a lot of easy possessions just dribbling and dishing. He's not having to constantly beat his man or beat doubles.

I also wonder if it's better to have guys play these minutes now so when playoffs come and they play 40 mins it's not a shock to the body.

That's a really good point. In Brooklyn it was 39 minutes of carrying the team on his back, while here he has occasional bursts where he's really being aggressive offensively but there are others that share the load.

[mjkvol]

"Right Here at the WELLZ FARGO CENTER WITH TYRESE MAXEY!" God she's so annoying...Kate

They need to rethink their broadcast team. Alaa is intolerable. I don't know if Kate can improve or would improve if they actually paired her with someone that brings some actual insight to the game.

The answer is no - she is what she is, an ESPN styled screamer. Alaa is simply brutal, rarely if ever offering any real insight. The insistent rooting, joking and laughing has gotten worse as the season has gone on. I've never muted games because the crowd noise is part of the whole thing, but I've thought about it with them.

[M2J]

My question is why is it that Harden was the one to point out things to Maxey that he has clearly used to up his game, and Harden is the one figuring out that the way to maximize Thybulle isn't to have him as an uncovered statue at the 3-point line but as a dynamic roller and back cutter, using his athleticism? How is it the coaches were missing this?

I think you have to wonder if either player could've pulled off those "newfound" capabilities without Harden on the team and generating the attention he does.

We're essentially talking about a couple of "wide receivers" who are benefiting from a huge upgrade at "quarterback."

No doubt true, but before Harden even suited up he was on the bench making a difference in Maxey's approach. A couple of point guards like Rivers and Cassell had helped him, but his play seems to have a different kind of aggression since Harden's arrival.

And with regard to Thybulle, it took Harden a couple of days to figure out that after 2 1/2 seasons a different approach might be necessary to get something out of him offensively. The athleticism was always there, and yet he was essentially a liability on one end of the floor.

Harden is clearly a basketball savant as well as a student of the game. The difference he has made here goes well beyond the stat sheet. The guy has transformed this team from a decent playoff team into a title contender overnight, and not just because of his play.

I think having a real playmaker opens up these possibilities. Not really coaching. Doc loves pick and rolls, barely could run them with Ben