James Harden moved up to 20th on the all-time playoff scoring list and to number 14 in the all-time playoff assists leaderboard. The cherry on top is that the Philadelphia 76ers get a 3-2 lead over the Boston Celtics in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series. The Bearded One tallied 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in the decisive game.
The 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player took the scoring spot from a fellow Sixer, Wilt Chamberlain. His Game 5 performance allowed him to tally 3,608 points to overtake the Big Dipper. With the way he has been scoring in this post-season run, Harden is on pace to overtake Hall of Famers like Elgin Baylor, Scottie Pippen, Dirk Nowitzki and Magic Johnson. The Beard is currently averaging 22.3 points per game in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Congratulations to @JHarden13 of the @sixers for moving to 20th all-time in Playoff scoring pic.twitter.com/7QtJaNgAmi
— NBA (@NBA) May 10, 2023
However, Wilt is not the only Hall of Famer that Harden overtook. He also passed Isiah Thomas in the all-time playoff assists board. In his first assist of Game 5, Harden tallied 988 assists to claim the 14th spot for himself. If the Sixers’ run goes any deeper, James Harden is on pace to move up to at most 11th on the list. He might overtake legends like Dennis Johnson, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. His pace of 8.3 assists per game certainly helps his case to do so.
Congratulations to @JHarden13 of the @sixers for moving to 14th all-time in Playoff assists! pic.twitter.com/h8dowPE8Dd
— NBA (@NBA) May 9, 2023
Doc Rivers’ plays allow Harden to be more of a facilitator in order for MVP Joel Embiid to thrive on the paint. His playmaking and IQ have certainly matured and have been well-adjusted to the Sixers’ system. If Harden was not an all-time great on some people’s lists, Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals would certainly prove them wrong.
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