James Harden relished his role as the Philadelphia 76ers' top offensive option with Joel Embiid sidelined for Game 1 of their second-round series.
Harden, 33, matched his career playoff high on Monday night by scoring 45 points to lead the 76ers to a 119-115 road victory over the Boston Celtics.
"I haven't felt one of those zones in a minute," Harden said postgame, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "You know what I mean? Just to be aggressive and shoot the basketball and do what I want.
"That felt really good. ... I'm capable of doing it, so it felt good. It felt good to make those shots to give ourselves a chance."
Embiid missed the opening tilt of the Eastern Conference semifinals due to a sprained knee he suffered during Game 3 of Round 1 against the Brooklyn Nets.
Without the 29-year-old MVP candidate on the court, Harden got the chance to take charge and lead the team to a win.
"Now it's like, 'All right, open the floor. James, you be aggressive.' And tonight, I was aggressive," Harden added. "So, it's not that I'm not capable of doing it, it just ... this is my role for this team. Now, if you want me to do (what I did) tonight, then I can do that as well."
"I don't think a lot of players can do that. So yeah, I appreciate that."
Harden secured the victory with his vintage step-back jumper to give his team a two-point lead.
The former MVP struggled during last year's postseason, averaging 18.6 points on 41% shooting from the field while chipping in 8.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds.
Harden last scored 45 points in a playoff contest during the 2015 Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors.
