James Harden and strip clubs go hand-in-hand. One simply cannot exist without the other. And for a long time, Harden’s infatuation with strip clubs was seen as a bad thing. Until last night.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Sixers and Celtics, James Harden dropped 45 points at TD Garden, tying a playoff career-high for the future Hall of Famer. And above all else, his herculean efforts secured the victory for the Embiid-less 76ers.

National pundits don’t know what to make of this. Less than 24 hours ago, a Harden 45-point masterclass to beat the Tatum-Brown Celtics felt unimaginable. But it happened, and everyone seems to be looking for answers.

Was it just a flash in the pan vintage performance for Harden? Perhaps. Or maybe, it goes a bit deeper than that. Maybe… the strip clubs we’ve routinely scrutinized Harden for attending actually benefited him. Call it Strip Club Empowerment, if you will.

Don’t take my word for it, either. Our own Jason Kelce was on the case long before I was.

During the Sixers Game 1 win, Kelce was fighting the good Twitter fight, typing what we all believe deep down – that Harden’s success is directly correlated to how recently he was at a strip club.

The truth about James Harden’s success uncovered

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Just days before the Eastern Conference Semis got underway, Harden was seen outside of a Las Vegas strip club. The video below shows Harden, clearly on edge and in complete playoff mode, slapping someone outside of said gentleman’s club. Some say slap, I say love tap. Nevertheless, we can confirm Harden was at a strip club leading up to this vintage performance.

>> Read More: Celtics fan DeVonta Smith is taking some heat on Twitter after Sixers’ Game 1 victory over Boston

Simply put, James Harden is a better basketball player when he’s routinely going to strip clubs. We can no longer deny this truth.

I’m not here to explain why or how this is possible. And to be clear, this Strip Club Empowerment phenomenon does not affect everyone the same way. I, for one, could not go to a strip club days before an important day at work and flourish. At least not in the same fashion Harden did last night.

All I know is that it works for James Harden. If winning a title is truly the goal this season for the Sixers, they ought to designate mandatory strip club days for Harden. Allow him to become his true self and the results will speak for themselves.

Mandatory Credit: NBC