When James Harden played his first game with Philly on February 25th, the Sixers were a drastically different team. Harden’s arrival in Philadelphia hasn’t hurt Joel Embiid’s chances for MVP — in fact, it’s boosted him. In terms of the team itself, the Sixers are still a good bet to win the East and the NBA Championship due to Harden’s high upside. There’s a common idea that Embiid and Harden would struggle on the court together, but that fear will fade quickly.

The  Brooklyn Nets traded James Harden to Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond.Harden, who has a player option on his contract  next season, hadn’t signed a renewal with the Nets last fall, and is back in action now that he has joined the Sixers. He reunites with Daryl Morey, who previously created a roster around outstanding rocket guards. Harden made a great impression in his third time starting with a new team. The Sixers beat the Timberwolves 133-102 that first night with Harden. The Sixers went on to win the next four out of five games. Everything was looking good with Harden.

Until last night.

The Sixers had to play the Nets, Harden’s previous team. Harden is arguably one of the best shooting guards in the NBA. Every Philly fan was hopeful. At the end, Sixer fans left disappointed with the Nets shuting down the team, 129-100. In the post game interviews, Harden fans rallied as he said, “Tonight was good for us. We got our ass kicked.” Harden said things had been “sweet” for the Sixers until now…the team will watch film and learn from the game.

Sixers fans still have hope as they are 3rd in Eastern Conference rankings. Keep up to date here: Sixer Schedule