2020-21-22 Sixers Season

[bigegypt0417]

What a total bummer. I'm with BE, cannot really digest this at the moment or talk about it.

Hopefully, they win two and keep going, but their flaws have certainly been exposed

I don't think you can win at a high level with this roster...the bench has been an utter failure in this series with the exception of one game.

Maybe we can get Lillard with Simmons as the centerpiece?

I'm just so frustrated.

[philsphan67]

Rivers is going to be a HOF coach, has a chance to be the winningest coach of all-time and is above 500 all-time in the play-offs. His best team won the NBA Championship. He's not the best coach of all-time, but he's good. This team was clearly better than when Brett Brown was here but still has holes. I am not sure a team can win with Simmons, not the current version at least. He was 4-14 at the foul line, if he goes 8-14 they win. He is typically a good defender and a great transition player, not a half court player. Dwight Howard was -14 on the floor and that forces Embiid to play 39 mins a game, he is compromised and clearly wears down in these games. The knock last night could be trying to get Harris involved offensively in the 2nd half - it was Curry and Embiid. Even if the Sixers win 6+7 I don't see Embiid being able to go two more series full force. Changes are coming, the window is open with Embiid being 26, it would be interesting to hear what Rivers says about this team behind closed doors and then evaluate him in the future.

[bigegypt0417]

You may be right about rivers being a great coach...the post-season...he owns alot of bad history.

Doc Rivers’ history of playoff collapses, explained

[zambonir]

Yeah I am not saying Rivers is a bad coach, and obviously the coaching change worked well (as did the roster change). All coaches have their flaws or bad luck. But is a quirk of his recent history that he's underachieved, and struggled some over the course of a playoff series (blown leads or otherwise).

We knew there was a chance we'd be right back here again: trade Ben, find a way to trade Tobias or or re-arrange all the other parts yet again.

Also, did they make a mistake not being more aggressive at the deadline? For that matter did they make a mistake just not including Maxey in the Harden deal. Hard to really say.

[kmc1019]

If the Sixers can come back and win the series, the past 2 games will be forgiven.

If they are eliminated by the Hawks, the consequences are likely to be severe in terms of roster make-up going forward. The Hawks are a younger team, so the Sixers can't use the "young" excuse any more. Problem is, they have 3 superstar contracts that eat up the majority of cap space, even though they only have 1 actual superstar.

Fingers crossed they can win Games 6 and 7 and put the previous 2 games out of memory!

[VoteForKalas]

I don't think you can win at a high level with this roster...the bench has been an utter failure in this series with the exception of one game.

Maybe we can get Lillard with Simmons as the centerpiece?

I'm just so frustrated.

I'm coming around to that conclusion too.

I knew playing a guard who never shoots with a center who gets double teamed was mind boggling, but Harris, Curry, Green et al. were going to help address that flaw. They have to some degree, but they are inconsistent and soooo passive. When things get tight or games are on the line, none of Simmons, Harris or the others demand the ball, take the tough shots and lead their team to victory.

We really have no finisher. Embiid is the closest, but having your center run the offense is difficult. That is why guards exist, but unfortunately our guards are not up to the task due to various flaws.

The bench has been horrible I agree although I'd love for Doc to play Maxey more. I think that kid is a player with potential.

The other one is Harris; in the last 6 quarters he has something like 10 pts and again just vanishes when we need him most. Our highest paid player cannot vanish.

[LegoDoom]

How dos this team go from dominating to unable to make a basket in the 4th quarter in back to back games?

One reason is Embiid's usage. As he tires during the game he can't play elite defense while having a high offensive usage late in the game. And that's not a knock against Embiid. He obviously played great last night, but not having a good scorer to pair with him is a problem late in the game. I know Curry had a great game, but he's a 3P/spacer player. You need someone to take the load off of Embiid at one end of the court in the 2nd half (or limit his usage early).

EDIT: This may also have something to do with it....

[el-pietro]

Gutsy win. Made free throws down the stretch when it mattered. Maxey was a steal at 21.

[philsphan67]

Simmons, who is being paid a lot of money, played 25 minutes -- that says a lot. Maxey stepped up, big help. I think (would not bet on it) they win tomorrow, but I am not sure what this team does going forward. The Bucks and Nets look flawed too. I just don't know if Embiid can go 36+ minutes for two more series.

With two more play-off wins, Rivers has 100 for his career. That would be tied for 4th all-time, the guy is pretty good. This team was +800 to win the NBA championship in April.

[VoteForKalas]

Great to see them respond and grind out a win on the road.

Thank you, Doc, for playing Maxey more. Keep it up.

[LegoDoom]

Simmons, who is being paid a lot of money, played 25 minutes -- that says a lot.

To be fair, he was in foul trouble. However, when he returned in the 4th quarter he basically wasn't allowed to touch the ball on offense.

[xogfog]

So the Bucks beat the Nets, so hopefully the Sixers win game 7 and play the Bucks for the East title.

[zambonir]

Was definitely not inclined to opponent-pick when we might not even get there, but that's probably still the better hand, especially if Kyrie might have returned for Brooklyn. Tough finish for the Nets though, Durant just missed winning it at the buzzer (he was over the three-point line) and then the Bucks were pretty awful for much of the OT, but they were able to keep a tired Durant from making the last shot.

[zambonir]

Well, now the question of whether to trade Ben or fix him/change the mix around him might be moot (though I'm sure his trade value will still be higher than it feels right now).

[bigegypt0417]

The issue seems to be that Simmons played like someone who doesn't want to be here...4 4th quarters in a row without a single shot.

Morey will surprise us with the return which will still be significant.

[xogfog]

Absolutely devastated with the way this season ended, I really thought they were going to make it to the Finals. Now I don't see any way they can continue with Simmons. He passed up an easy dunk with a possible and one to pass it because he was scared to go to the line. Cost them at least one point and who knows how momentum would have changed had he thunderously dunked it. Embiid can't do it all himself. Harris ended up with 24 points, but he missed a bunch of shots including several layups.

At this point Simmons has played himself out of being a valuable trade chip. Now, to move him for someone like Beal, Lillard, etc..., you'll need to include Maxey and probably a couple 1st round picks to get a player like that. Morey is now on the clock. He did a great job assembling the team this year and unloaded some bad contracts, but now he has to put a real scoring talent alongside Embiid Harris has to be the third or fourth option for this team to get to the next level. Butler worked well in that roll, but Harris was not playing PF, where he is best. They need a real good second scorer at SG or SF.

[xogfog]

Simmons is at least aware he was the problem. This stat is telling:

He shot 15-for-45 (33%) on foul shots against Atlanta and 34.2% from the line for the 2021 playoffs overall, accounting for the worst free throw percentage in NBA playoff history for a player with at least 70 attempts, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

Here is the full article:

Simmons takes blame: 'Offensively, I wasn't there'

[zambonir]

Well, the reason we just watched Ben Simmons instead of James Harden was that they were going to have to include Maxey and a couple of picks, so that was already true. I actually agree with BE that they will probably still get some value, if only because you'll be trading a young player for 30+ player (probably). But with Portland, for instance, two weeks ago I wouldn't have taken McCollum and now I probably would (and I can tell you most Portland fans who didn't want to do that two weeks ago really don't want to now).

[VoteForKalas]

Bad loss on your home court; not much more to say except the 76ers approach and this roster are still not sound.

Morey needs to evaluate everything and make some tough but necessary decisions about the future.

-can you rely on a center who cannot stay healthy and well conditioned for more than half a season?
-can you keep a guard who refuses to shoot and is a liability offensively, especially in crunch time?
-can you continue to pay star money to a forward who is no where near a star player?
-can you go another season with an unreliable and flawed bench?

There are many other questions, but those are four that jumped to mind quickly. Lots to do this off-season.

[phillychuck]

I like VfK's series of questions.

Games 4 and 5 were the keys to the series loss. Losing 20 point leads with a team that can play defense as well as this team does is inexcusable once, not to mention twice.

Losing last night was succumbing to pressure and too many guys trying to play hero-ball.

In terms of rebuilding, the key for Morey and company is to look at the two fourth quarters in the ridiculous losses. Answer the question of what change needs to be made to activate playoff fourth-quarter offense while not sacrificing defense. Can Simmons be part of a successful half-court, playoff offense? What player acquisition would "fit" with Simmons and Embiid? What role can the young guys play in changing that 4th quarter situation (if any)? You answer those questions, then you make your plan.

I think they simply need more shooting, particularly off the bench, but even in the starting lineup. Maybe Danny Green was that shooting in the starting lineup, but can you count on him at his age? Is Kork consistent enough? Will Milton "come back" to his former shooting prowess?

Or, they could break it all apart and trade 2 of the big three...