March 08, 2022
The Sixers have been playing on another level since James Harden arrived, and after Monday night's win over Chicago, they don't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down.
When Harden's on the floor, the Sixers have yet to score less than 120 points and have been on a 5-1 tear since his debut at Minnesota two weeks ago. The team's only loss during that stretch (Saturday in Miami) came when Harden didn't play.
In the power rankings, the Sixers have mostly stayed put across most outlets in the past week, but that definitely isn't a bad thing. They're staying up there with the NBA's best and are largely considered one of the Eastern Conference's top three.
The Sixers did take once very noticeable jump in one outlet's rankings though. Here's how it breaks down:
| Outlet | Rank | Movement | Behind |
| ESPN.com | 5 | -- | PHX, MIA, MEM, MIL |
| NBA.com | 6 | -- | PHX, MIA, BOS, MEM, DEN |
| Sports Illustrated | 6 | -1 | PHX, MIA, MIL, UTA, MEM |
| The Athletic | 3 | -- | MIL, MIA |
| DraftKings | 3 | +1 | MIA, MIL |
| CBS | 1 | +7 | -- |
| FiveThirtyEight | 6 | -- | BOS, PHX, MIL, DEN, MIA |
| FanDuel NBA Finals Odds | 4 (+650) | -- (-) | PHX, GS, BKN |
The Sixers took a massive seven-spot leap into first in CBS' latest rankings, singing a much different tune than last time.
From CBS Sports' Colin Ward-Henninger:
Well, if this is what the new-look 76ers are going to be, the rest of the league might as well pack it up now. Just kidding ... sort of. In their first three games with James Harden, the Sixers are outscoring opponents by over 20 points per 100 possessions with a ridiculous offensive rating of 125.3. That being said, their games have come against the Timberwolves and the Knicks, not exactly the cream of the NBA crop. Harden and Joel Embiid have each scored at least 25 points in all three of the games so far, while Tyrese Maxey is taking advantage of preoccupied defenses to the tune of 24.7 points per game on 64 percent 3-point shooting. We'll see if it lasts, but Philadelphia couldn't have asked for a better start for its new superstar duo. [CBS Sports]
It isn't all universal praise though. Although the Sixers rank high for most, some wonder how the Sixers will hold up once the competition starts getting tougher.
From Zach Harper at The Athletic:
Obviously, a lot of this has changed dramatically with the addition of James Harden. They’re a completely different team, and they’ll have a completely different approach. They’ve been good enough in the clutch so far this season, but we haven’t seen much of it tested since Harden took the court. He’s only played in two clutch minutes as a Sixer. The takeaway here, though, is how dominant Embiid has been as a scorer. This is with everybody and their grandmother knowing Embiid was getting the ball in the clutch. He’s destroyed in every facet. Maxey has struggled for the Sixers, getting just a point per shot and not really scoring unless he gets to the free-throw line. But he also looks like a brand new player since Harden joined the squad. It’ll be fascinating to see how they approach clutch moments with Harden, assuming they’re not blowing out most of their opponents. [The Athletic]
Philadelphia is 4-0 with Harden in the lineup, but beginning with Saturday's loss in Miami (which Harden sat out on the second night of a back-to-back) things will get tougher in the games ahead. Even though Thursday's game against Brooklyn won't include Ben Simmons, who is still working through back issues as he continues to ramp up his activity level, seeing Harden against his old team will provide more than enough drama. -- Tim Bontemps [ESPN]
At 40-24, the Sixers' NBA title odds are fourth-best on DraftKings at +650, with less than a quarter of the regular season left to play. The long-awaited home game against Brooklyn is up next on Thursday night, where, for better or worse, the Ben Simmons saga will continue on.
Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
