When the title-starved Philadelphia 76ers begin their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors this Saturday, James Harden won't be feeling any pressure to elevate his game. He said as much during a recent interview with Complex, arguing that he doesn't have anything to prove as the clear missing piece to the Sixers' championship puzzle. In his words, "I'm ready to hoop."
Suffice to say, the veteran superstar will need to step up against the Raptors, as they limited him to 8-of-24 shooting and forced him to commit nine total turnovers in a pair of losses this spring. Whether or not Harden is telling the truth about pressure, it's no secret that he wants to slay old playoff demons. Although he's produced a Hall of Fame career, Harden's still chasing his first ring, and narratives aren't always easy to erase and rewrite.
"How can you say with a straight face, if you're James Harden, that you don't have anything to prove in Philly? You might not feel the pressure, but there's an enormous amount of pressure," Zach Gelb said during Thursday's edition of The Zach Gelb Show. "You have a lot to prove in Philly. You have to prove you're a winner. Sure, you're an MVP. Sure, you're going to the Hall of Fame whenever you hang them up.
"But the one massive blemish on your resume is, you haven't preformed well in clutch situations... For Harden, you'll always be looked at -- until you win a championship -- 'great player, but come playoff time, melted in big moments.' That's what you've done... They want him to be the closer, to be the finisher. He's not that... You need Harden to elevate his game, and you for sure have to prove you're a winner.... For him, not to embrace that, is embarrassing."
Gelb's complete thoughts on Harden and the Sixers' postseason hopes can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.