Sixers - Heat Game Four: James Goddamned Harden

 > With the game and series in the balance and the Sixers unable to get the ball to Joel Embiid, James Harden just started raining down 3s. Shots that haven't been made while he was in the laundry for the most part. Shots after he played his worst quarter of the playoffs in the first. With real fire and passion. It was bad offense and what happens in the fourth quarter in playoffs and scary and glorious, and he probably made himself an unreal amount of money from it. For everyone who has been ready to throw dirt on this guy, you can all go piss off now. A lot.

> Every playoff game, I dislike the opponent a little more. Kyle Lowry is an absolute fraud in every sense of the word, just a man who has no NBA skill left outside of grifting. Trent Tucker's very existence is a foul. I'm glad they got Markieff Morris off the bench, just so Embiid could block him down into the Earth's core. Max Strus looks like every punchable wrestling heel, and his eyebrow game is straight out of a Republic serial. Ye gads, no wonder Miami only has two fans.

> Fine Danny Green night tonight, with a signature deep 3 in transition where he, of course, missed the free throw after. He's a special collection of insanity.

> I thought Doc Rivers coached a reasonable game tonight, with the sole exception of going back to Embiid too soon in the fourth. The Sixers grew the lead with the big man on the bench, and the offensive sets did not get better with him back on the floor so soon. But then Harden decided, um, screw it, I got this.

> One of the best Tyrese Maxey moments ever tonight in this one, the bullet pass from near half-court late in the clock to get a Tobias Harris dunk. Remember, he's 21 years old. Good Lord.

> For Miami, a Jimmy Butler game for the ages, aided and abetted by Embiid buying pump fakes like they were bitcoin. I get that he's good and a friend, Joel, but let's push him out to the line and make him try that ugly 3 some more, please.

> Another day, another night with a howling miss from the refs. Harris was lucky to escape serious injury from a Bam Adebayo arm to the throat, and nope, not even noticed. Hell of a game you were missing here, gentlemen.

> As for the other Heatles... Lowry had some moments I guess, and Adebayo seems to have lost his stark terror of Embiid. Herro hasn't shown up on the road, and the problem with being a deep team with a lot of competent role players is that, well, stars win playoffs.

> Nice of George Niang to be of some utility tonight, and Paul Reed was his usual mix of positivity, but if you can remember a playoff team getting less from its bench, well... I can't. This will eventually be the Sixers' undoing, but for now, every win is a deodorant.

It's a best of 3 now, and Miami has home court with some strong regression to the mean coming for the last two games of 3-point shooting (14 for 65). But every day past the concussion is a better day for Embiid, and Harden just had his best game in months. I have no idea what happens next.