Harden dismisses pressure talk ahead of Raptors series: 'I'm ready to hoop'

Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden said he feels no pressure to perform up to expectations as he prepares for the team's first-round matchup against the Toronto Raptors.

"Pressure, no. I feel good," Harden said after Thursday's practice, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "I'm ready to hoop. There's nothing to it."

Harden averaged 15 points on 33 percent shooting from the field while adding 11.5 assists in his two games against Toronto as a 76er. The Raptors were missing All-Star Fred VanVleet and key contributor OG Anunoby in both contests.

The 32-year-old shooting guard had success against the Raptors earlier this season, putting up a near triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in a win as a member of the Brooklyn Nets in November.

Sixers center Joel Embiid said that for Philadelphia to get past Toronto in the playoffs, the squad needs Harden to be his high-volume scoring self.

The Raptors are notorious for throwing double- and even triple-teams at Embiid during their matchups, signified by a zero-point performance from the big man at the beginning of the 2019-2020 season. With the same tactic most likely coming against the five-time NBA All-Star and scoring champion, Embiid vocalized the importance of having Harden as a big-time scoring option.

"I tell him to be himself. He's been doing a great job of being the playmaker, but we need him to be aggressive and really score the ball, especially against Toronto," Embiid said.

Game 1 between the 76ers and Raptors kicks off this Saturday. The last time the two sides met in the playoffs, Toronto defeated Philadelphia in the second round in seven games at the hands of Kawhi Leonard's legendary buzzer-beater en route to the Raptors franchise's first championship.