Early in the fourth quarter of Game 6 between the Sixers and Heat, an exhausted Doc Rivers abandoned attempts to scheme his team back into it and appealed directly to its competitive spirit. “Fight for this,” implored Rivers. “Come on guys, fight for this.” They didn’t. Miami’s lead swelled to 19, then to 20 before Philadelphia closed the gap in garbage time, ending the game—and its season—with a 99–90 defeat.
In the moment, Rivers was addressing everyone in that Sixers huddle. His message, however, was likely aimed squarely at James Harden. In the biggest game of Philadelphia’s season, Harden played like he didn’t want to be there.