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Nets: James Harden laughs off refs’ role in loss to 76ers

By Adam Weinrib

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 06: James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets speaks with referee Nate Green #65 during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center on February 06, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 06: James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets speaks with referee Nate Green #65 during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center on February 06, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
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James Harden had to laugh about the way the refs treated the Nets Saturday night.

Saturday’s 124-108 Nets loss to the Philadelphia 76ers will be remembered mainly for the 43-point third quarter that left Brooklyn’s defense flattened.

Exasperated Nets fans will continue to dog the refs for quite possibly the most overmatched loss of the team’s season thus far, an inauspicious attempt to hang with the East’s elite that left BK at 14-11 on the campaign.

Say what you will about this gelling Nets team, but they share the fan base’s concerns in their quest for perfection.

When asked about the interactions he had with Saturday’s unfortunate crew, James Harden refused to really comment, but made his feelings clear in near-silence.

Yeah, that just about covers it.

Without Kevin Durant on the court again Saturday night due to a series of confusing protocols, Harden has accepted the burden of an increased role, remaining one of the league’s best facilitators and leading the NBA in assists since he changed coasts.

The team still didn’t look anything like it intended to Saturday night, though, partially due to the interference of the officiating crew. There’s only so much Harden can facilitate if he can’t facilitate the refs’ swift exit from the arena.

Unfortunately, Harden was a garish -18 in the primetime effort, and the Sixers’ egos got a bit more inflated after taking out another supposed Eastern Conference rival. Once it became winning time, though, it was clear the Nets couldn’t subsist without KD, especially since they had to handle the zebras, too.

The discouraging effort wasn’t due to a lack of…well, effort, and there were many mitigating factors embedded in the loss.

But when the final horn sounded, momentum had run the Nets into the ground, and all Harden could do was laugh at the confluence of events. Better luck next time.