Will Harden-Embid’s ‘one-two punch’ lead to the revival of Philadelphia?
In this season’s NBA playoffs, various old and new one-two punches collide. From the guard combination, guard and big man, and swing man combination, the colors are also different. Among them, the Philadelphia 76ers are also formidable in terms of name value. This is because James Harden (33‧196cm) and Joel Embiid (29‧213cm), former top scorers, are paired together.
Harden is a dual guard who goes over number 1 and 2, and Embiid is the best center in the league competing for the top spot along with Nikola Jokic. As if to prove this, they are showing terrifying momentum in the playoffs as well. Recently, Philadelphia was the first to pass the first round of the playoffs with four consecutive wins. In the first round series of 4 wins in 7 matches against the Brooklyn Nets, he won a complete victory without losing a single game.메이저놀이터
Especially in Game 4, it is meaningful in that it won even though Embiid, who suffered a right knee injury, was absent. Harden coordinated the game well with 17 points and 11 assists, Paul Reed, who was put in place of Embiid, filled the void with 10 points and 15 rebounds, and Tobias Harris (25 points, 12 rebounds) also shined. The fact that even though the dependence on the one-two punch is high, the fact that one player took the victory in a big game like the playoffs means that the team has become stronger and stronger.
The next opponent is the winner of the 2nd seed Boston Celtics and the 7th seed Atlanta Hawks. Embiid, who is expected to have a recovery time of about a week, can rest comfortably, and the overall team reorganization has become easier. It is also a good thing that you can play the game in a physically better state than your opponent.
Though a bit of a step down from his prime, Harden is still one of the league’s most intimidating scoring machines. Although he is not a player who boasts extremely fast or explosive athleticism, he is enjoying an era through his unique play style that controls his tempo and steals the opponent’s rhythm. As if to prove this, he boasts a splendid award-winning career, including regular season MVP 1 time, top scorer 3 times, assist king 1 time, and first team 6 times. Harden
is a very unique player. He is slow yet fast, seemingly fast but slows down. He knocks off the opponent’s center of gravity in an instant while dribbling and makes a successful breakthrough. When the focus is on his attack, he throws a flashy and sharp pass, causing cracks in the opponent’s defense. He pretends to break through and then throws a step-back 3-point shot, and the ability to make free throws by inducing fouls (?) is also excellent.
Since he had such a high degree of diversity and perfection in his attacks, he even received rave reviews saying, ‘As much as his attack skills, he deserves to compete with the best of all time’ when he was in the middle of his prowess. Compared to Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, he boasted a reputation that is not far off. After moving to Philadelphia, his playing style has changed slightly.
As can be seen from the average record of 21 points, 10.7 assists (1st place), 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 58 regular season games, the tempo basket that takes away the timing of the defense is still the same, but the firepower show that puts individual skills first has decreased. This is because there are many good attacking resources in the team, including Embiid, who will be able to score better than himself. Instead, I was able to record a lot of assists because there were many players to receive the pass.
Embiid, who grew up as a franchise star in Philadelphia and one of the league’s representative players, is a monstrous big man who roams the court like a beast. He has good physical condition, athletic ability, and a strong fighting spirit. His jump and quickness are evenly combined, so he jumps and runs well, so his offense and defense balance is good.
It is possible to play to smash the opponent’s defense with various attack options going inside and outside, and even when defending, it is possible to perform both horizontal and vertical defense near the post at a high level. Embiid had both physical ability and technique. Positioning under the goal, overpowering the opponent with strength, dunking, and controlling the offensive rebound, the post move using various pivots is excellent.
In the process, it makes the defender’s head dizzy because he uses a kick-out pass toward a colleague on the outskirts and a cut-in pass tailored to the movement of a colleague running in. where is it all Unlike his rough-looking appearance, he even has a soft shooting touch. It is not just at the level of throwing in an open chance, but it is possible to hit a two-handed dribble, throw it as a stepback, and even turnaround jump shots.
The 3-point shot success rate is also relatively good for a big man, and he boldly succeeds in hook shots even from the middle line, which is quite far away. In addition to his post-up and passing skills, he has an excellent shot, so even if he catches the ball near the top or baseline, the defense is bound to be nervous. He mixes various fakes, tries to face up, or rushes like a flurry and goes into a drive-in, and he is helpless.
He can be called an all-weather big man who can destroy defenses from any distance. It is also the reason why he is often compared to Hakeem Olajuwon, a former Nigerian legend, although his nationality is different. Olajuwon enjoyed playing wide areas during his playing days, and is famous for hearing Michael Jordan jokingly remark that ‘he’s a small forward, not a big man’.
Embiid has quite a few careers to fill in order to truly become the ‘second Olajuwon’. In the case of Olajuwon, it was called the top among the four centers. It’s not easy to rank them because each of them has excellent skills, but there is a big reason why they won in a big match. In the final stage, he defeated Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O’Neal, respectively, and achieved two consecutive victories, and also won a complete victory over David Robinson, whom he met in the playoffs.
Embiid is still without mourning clothes. It is because of the existence of center rival Yokichi, who reached their prime together. While Yochiki won the MVP for the second consecutive year in the regular league, he continued to lose big titles with a narrow gap, such as finishing in second place and being pushed out of the best 5 of the season. This is why he is called the ‘number two in bad luck’ even though he has the best skills. This season, when he again ranked first in scoring following last season, it is evaluated that the MVP of the regular league is influential.
Harden and Embiid had top-notch skills, but were somewhat far from a clear No. 1 image. There are many reasons for this, but it is analyzed that whether or not to win the final had a big impact. Curry and Adetokounmpo are regarded as players representing the era, and in addition to their outstanding individual performance, the reason for putting the team on the winning list is a big reason.
Philadelphia is one of the famous houses that have won the finals three times, but too much time has passed since winning the championship in 1983 and even the conference championship was the last year in 2001, so the image of a strong team tends to be blurred. If Harden and Embiid’s one-two punch can lead the team to the championship, it is expected to have a great meaning for the team as well as the two. It is clear that there will be significant changes in the evaluation of them. Let’s pay attention to whether the momentum that passed the first round will lead to the final victory.