Charles Barkley criticizes MVP Joel Embiid and points out James Harden’s difference in gameplay as the Celtics win Game 2

The Philadelphia 76ers lose out on Game 2 as the Boston Celtics turned up big time to win 121-87. Unlike Game 1, the Celtics defence simply zoned out Joel Embiid and James Harden and they had little impact in the game.

The series is now tied at 1-1 and it could go both ways as we have seen that both teams can be way off their best on a certain day. Game 1 saw Harden dropping a masterclass in MVP Embiid’s absence. But with his return, the Celtics turned up big time to close him out completely.

Interestingly, NBA analyst and former player Charles Barkley felt that Embiid broke the rhythm for the Sixers and that resulted in the heavy defeat. The recently crowned MVP was injured in Game 3 of Round 1 against Brooklyn Nets. He missed the last game in that series and also did not take part in Game 1 against the Celtics.

Barkley feels that the extra rest for Embiid broke his rhythm. He believes that Harden plays differently when Embiid is around and that did cost the Sixers a crucial Game 2. He also shared that Embiid has a mental block and is not aggressive enough for his liking.

“I do not like the fact that he [Embiid] was in there for a couple of reasons… I think James [Harden] plays differently when Joel’s out there. In my opinion. he’s [Embiid] got a mental block. He’s not nearly as aggressive. I mean, it was night and day from Game 1 to Game 2,” Barkley told in TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ podcast.

Harden dropped a playoff career-high 45 points in the first game and helped them win without the MVP. But with Embiid around his shot attempts have gone down as he only connected two of his 14 shots and finished with 12 points. Tyrese Maxey, who scored 26 points in Game 1 also dropped down to 13 in the next one as the gameplay was more focused on Embiid.

Barkley believes that if he was Embiid, he would tell Harden to be himself and play like he did on Game 1. He wants Embiid to cover up the defence. He points out the clear difference in Harden’s play in the two games against the Celtics. Barkley believes an MVP should be more flexible.

“He [Harden] plays totally different when Joel’s out there. If I was Joel I’d say, ‘James, do what you did Monday night, don’t worry about me, I know when the game’s on the line, that’s why I won the MVP trophy. Let me play defense and win the game in the fourth quarter,” Barkley explained.

The Sixers will be aiming to get back the lead when they face the Celtics again on May 6. They need to find that cohesion in the team which will allow every player to put up their best foot forward. The missed that in the second game and were simply outclassed by last season’s runners-up.