Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers: 3 ways Joel Embiid’s absence changes series

The Philadelphia 76ers will need James Harden to be James Harden in this series

More than anything, especially with Joel Embiid out, the Philadelphia 76ers are going to need James Harden to be James Harden again – something that we haven’t exactly seen much of since he was acquired by the team.

Harden did average 19 points per game in the first round against the Raptors, but only did so on 41 percent shooting from the field. Even with a healthy Embiid (though that seems unlikey at this point), Harden was going to need to step up and take his game to another level.

He needs to tap into the Harden of old in order to catapul the Sixers over the Heat. That will only be more magnified when/if Embiid is out.

Heading into Game 1, the Sixers have the odds stacked up against them. If they’re going to have any chance of winning without Embiid at least to begin the series, they’re going to need the best possible version of Harden. And, even then, that still might not be enough.