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7 Things That Make This Sixers Team Feel Different
As Sixers fans, we have been through this before. The Sixers make it to the 2nd round. We are having a party, only to have our hearts ripped out. A Kawhi Leonard shot bounces 4 times off the rim just to fall in, and the Sixers’ season is ended. Ben Simmons refuses to dunk on an open basket, and they fall to the Hawks. And then last year the Sixers fall apart when Embiid misses two games, and the Heat take them out. The second round has been a hurdle they trip over each and every season. It’s why so many Sixers fans had a hard time jumping on board this season no matter how well the Sixers played. But if you weren’t as invested in the regular season, you may have missed something. Because almost all season long, it has felt like something was finally different.
Different beyond just Joel Embiid somehow playing even better than he did last year. Yea somethings are still the same. Embiid is once again battling injuries in the playoffs. But even how they are dealing with that feels different. We saw it in the regular season with them doing things they never could do in past years. Then we saw it in round 1 vs the Nets with them finishing the sweep. Now we have seen it in game 1 vs the Celtics. Does it mean they will finally win it all? Maybe. Maybe not. But at the very least, we have seen them avoid similar pitfalls from last season.
So what is making that difference? There are several factors. Between new players, new attitudes, and guys who have been here stepping up now.
Here are 7 things that make this Sixers team feel different from the ones that lost in the 2nd round before:
They Can Still Win Even Without Embiid
Last year in the 2nd round the Sixers were completely lost without Joel Embiid. They quickly went down 0-2 in that series, with Paul Reed and DeAndre Jordan splitting time at center. Jordan was a disaster. And while Reed at least brought some energy to the floor, he was inexperienced and got himself into foul trouble very quickly.
Once Embiid was back, they tied the series back up in Philly. Even with a hobbled Embiid, they were MUCH better off. They eventually lost games 5 and 6. But it was those first two games that killed them. If the backup centers gave them anything and stole a single game, maybe they could have had a game 7 and won it. But that was not the case.
The past Sixers teams were way too reliant on Embiid dominating. If the big man was not on the floor and going off, they were not winning. But that is not the case this year. For one, they won game 1 vs the Celtics, and game 4 vs the Nets with him on the bench. Part of that is thanks to Paul Reed stepping up in his place. He is no Embiid, and the Sixers lose a lot on rim protection without Embiid. But it is not a waving of the white flag situation anymore. Reed can hold up. They won the minutes when he was on the floor.
But it is also all the other guys around him stepping up. Harden, Maxey, Harris, are all stepping up with Embiid out. That is not something that happened last time. At least not with all 3 of them. The Sixers are no longer Embiid or bust. They are certainly much better with him. But he is part of the success now, not the sole reason for it.
James Harden is Healthy
I dont know who that was last year wearing James Harden’s jersey, but it wasn’t him. That guy couldn’t hit a stepback 3, and certainly couldn’t drive on anyone. Hardens playmaking was still an overall plus for the Sixers last year, but they were missing the dynamic scorer Harden usually is. The injured hamstring was clearly holding him back.
But this year? Houston Harden is back. Without Embiid they needed someone to pick up the scoring slack, and he did that and more. A career-high 45 points from him in game 1 carried them to a win. And we have seen flashes of that all year. And it is because he is healthy He has been banged up a bit here and there. but that is every NBA player. The important thing is that it is not keeping him from doing the things he needs to do, like it did last year.
He has not needed to do it as much because Embiid has been taking care of that for him. It’s why for much of the year Harden worked as more of a facilitator than a scorer. His shooting % from 3 last year with the Sixers was at around 32%. Now it’s up at around 38%. The guy who couldn’t score at all in the final game of last season is gone. In his place, we seem to have the Harden who won the MVP in Houston.
Doc took a lot of heat for his coaching last year, perhaps rightfully so. He was slow on adjustments, and over-reliant on over-the-hill veterans while refusing to give young guys a real chance. Deandre Jordan’s minutes in the playoffs last year were a disaster. And Paul Reed lacked experience because Doc seemingly refused to play him during the season.
But now? He is letting Reed play. but more importantly, he has outcoached both teams the Sixers played so far. He has effectively gone to the matchup zone multiple times with great results. Including in game 1. After the Sixers allowed 40 points in the paint in the first half, they held them to 26 in the 2nd. And the zone had the Celtics confused, helping force some bad shots, turnovers, and shot clock violations.
While some fans are too stubborn to admit it, Doc has done a damn good job this year. He outcoached Jacque Vaugh in round 1, and in game 1 he stole Joe Mazzula’s lunch money. Jaylen Brown even said it himself, the Sixers won because they were prepared, and the Celtics were not. Doc Rivers is pushing all of the right buttons this season, where it felt like he hit none of them last year.
Maxey Overcame His Celtics Yips
The fear with Maxey coming into this series, is that he has struggled badly against the Celtics to this point in his career. Before now, he averaged just 8.2 points per game against Boston. During this season it was just 10 points per game in the 4 times they met. But in game 1, he tripled his career average vs them. 26 points. The efficiency wasn’t fully there. There were stretches where he struggled to get his shot. But he stayed aggressive. And eventually, he got his.
We said we needed Maxey to be the 3rd guy before the series. And he is filling that role and more. Last year Maxey was not always a reliable option in the playoffs. He had on games, but then followed them up with off games. Now he looks far more consistent.
PJ Tucker Bringing Much Needed Toughness Now
The Sixers lacked toughness last year. That’s not my opinion, it was their opinion. Both Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris came out and said it. And Joel Embiid specifically said he wanted PJ Tucker to be a Sixer, he got what he wanted.
While Tucker is not bringing much in the way of scoring, his presence makes an obvious impact on both sides of the ball. Whether he is grabbing a tough rebound, or setting a tough screen, the word tough is always an adjective for whatever he does. But maybe even more importantly, he is holding the people accountable. Multiple times in these playoffs we have heard guys talk about him calling them out for not playing well enough. He did it to Paul Reed in game 1 after Reed allowed multiple offensive Rebounds to Al Horford giving the Celtics back the lead.
The good thing is, everyone takes the criticism and responds. There aren’t guys getting their feelings hurt for being called out by a teammate. They take it in and do better. These types of things weren’t happening in the past. Specifically with a certain player who is barely a Basketball player anymore.
Actually Getting Something From the Bench
The Sixers bench struggling in the playoffs, a tale as old as time. Except this year, that is not really the case. DeAnthony Melton has been lethal from 3 in the playoffs. Jaden McDaniels is not giving the Sixers much scoring, but he has played some tough defense off the bench. And of course, eventually, Paul Reed will be coming off the bench. The Sixers’ bench is no longer a white flag when they come in. The Sixers are not being run off the floor when some of their starters come off the floor anymore.
It is also a shorter bench, which again goes back to Doc Rivers coaching better. Past seasons say him still going with bench guys who had no business playing in the playoffs. Now it is mostly 8 guys, with Niang getting short runs here and there.
Winning Games It Felt Like Past Teams Would Lose
How many times have we said “Wow, they would have lost that last year,” this season? It feels like a lot. And you can absolutely throw several of these playoff games in that. There is no way last years Sixers team would win that close game 3 vs the Nets, or Game 1 vs the Celtics. Part of this goes back to the toughness we already talked about. But it just seems like a team that they are not giving in when things don’t go their way like they used to.
In the past, the Sixers would have at the least had to gone to 5 games, if not 6 vs the Nets. And there is no chance they would be up 1-0 on the Celttics. But over and over again, we are seeing this Sixers team win games they would have lost in past seasons.
Pat is Philly through and through, having grown up in the Oxford Circle of Northeast Philadelphia. He attended Cardinal Dougherty High School, and it was at CD that a teacher suggested he should pursue a career in sports radio. He worked his way up the ranks and joined the morning show in June of 2020. As a content creator for 97.5 The Fanatic he writes about Eagles, Sixers, Phillies and Flyers. Follow Pat on Twitter @Pat_Egan
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