James Harden doesn't hold back in criticism of Nets in first visit back to Brooklyn

On Saturday night, James Harden made his first visit back to the Barclays Center as an opponent, nearly a year to the day the Philadelphia 76ers acquired the star guard in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. 

While the Sixers earned a 101-98 victory, Harden walked away vindicated. Harden told reporters after the game that the Nets' recent chaos was a big reason he asked to leave. 

"I don't look like the crazy one. I don't look like the quitter or whatever the media wanna call me," Harden said. "I knew what was going on, and I just decided I'm not built for this. I don't wanna deal with that.

"I wanna play basketball and have fun and enjoy doing it."

In retrospect, Harden got out of Brooklyn well before the fall. Now in Philadelphia, Harden is thriving in a more supportive role alongside MVP candidate Joel Embiid. 

On Saturday night, Harden showed the Nets what they were missing, dropping 29 points with six assists, six rebounds, a steal, and a block. Harden is averaging an NBA-best 10.9 assists per game, along with 21.1 points and 6.3 rebounds. 

At 36-19, Harden and the Sixers remain third in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks (39-17) and 3.5 games back of the first-place Boston Celtics (40-16). Meanwhile, at 32-23, the Nets are in fifth place in the East but could be in for a quick fall down the standings. 

It's been a turbulent week for the Nets, who sent Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant packing in separate trades, officially marking the end of a wildly unsuccessful era in Brooklyn. 

Irving requested a trade after he failed to work out a contract extension with the team. He was ultimately dealt to the Dallas Mavericks last Sunday in exchange for former Net Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick, and several second-rounders. A few days later, the Nets moved Durant to the Phoenix Suns for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four first-round picks.