Days Before Daunting James Harden Fall-off vs Celtics, Higher Ups Approved His ‘Dennis Rodman’-Like Behavior in Vegas: “He’s a Grown Man”

It has been an eventful postseason for the Philadelphia 76ers team as they swept the first round against the Brooklyn Nets and their star player, Joel Embiid, bagged the MVP trophy. However, the semifinal series against the Boston Celtics brought a reality check in the camp after losing two games straight. Amid the playoffs chaos, James Harden reportedly displayed Dennis Rodman-like behavior just days before his implausible poor run.

Harden produced a formidable performance in round 1 against the Nets with an average of 17.3 points in 4 games and shooting 34.3% from the floor. Despite dropping 45 points to seal game 1 against the Celtics, the following two games have been a nightmare for Harden. He only managed to drop 12 and 16 points on both occasions. 

James Harden’s trip to the Sin City

After sweeping the series against the Nets, the Sixers had a week’s break before their semifinal series. James Harden took the opportunity to party in Las Vegas. Given the crucial stage, the Sixers’ head coach Doc Rivers’ response to Harden’s trip surprised everyone. 

When Steve Bulpett of Heavy Sports enquired about Harden’s trip, Rivers said, “James called me before he went, and I was like, ‘So what? Do it.’ Dennis Rodman went to Vegas. They asked me about it, and I said, ‘We had three days off.’ I told them to do whatever they want. He’s a grown man. I didn’t care.”

While Rivers’ response might have surprised a few, it didn’t surprise the Atlanta Hawks’ star Trae Young. His response to the tweet read, “probably why he had the 45 piece & W ready.”

READ MORE – One Year After Dramatic Exit, NBA Star James Harden Has a Message for the Nets

However, things didn’t seem to go right for the 3x NBA Champion after Game 1. Moreover, a video of the star arguing with one of his crew members in Las Vegas went viral. Incidentally, Harden’s behavior resembled that of Chicago Bulls legend, Dennis Rodman.

Dennis Rodman’s 48-hour bender

During the 1998 postseason, the Bulls legend took off to Las Vegas in the middle of the playoffs. While the team’s head coach Phil Jackson approved his request, Michael Jordan wasn’t on-board with his decision. To make matters worse, Rodman failed to return to the court on time and MJ was forced to travel to Vegas to drag him out of the hotel room. The entire event was documented by the iconic Netflix docuseries, The Last Dance.

WATCH THIS STORY: “Michael Jordan vs James Harden in stats. Who was more lethal as a scorer in their prime?”

What do you make of Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers’ response to Harden’s trip to Sin City? Let us know in the comments below.