Well, even the little sliver of optimism I had for this Sixers-Celtics series evaporated rather quickly on Sunday. Boston was dominant and the Sixers looked out-classed in every facet of Game 1. It looks like it’s going to be a long week for Sixers fans as their team marches their way to inevitable doom. Until then, I’ll hit our loyal readers with a fresh “5 Sixers thoughts” column…
The Sixers’ backup centers continue to flounder
Andre Drummond had a stellar evening during the Sixers’ Play-In win over Orlando that ran counter to how horrific it
was to watch him on the court throughout the regular season. That didn’t carry over to the first round of the playoffs in Drummond’s 21 minutes of play, as the Sixers’ big was a negative on both ends of the court.
That’s before even getting nominal starter Adem Bona, who, in 14 minutes of play, appeared entirely out of place in an NBA playoff game. He should not be allowed to dribble the ball in transition ever again.
Sure, the Sixers are always going to be at a frontcourt disadvantage whenever Joel Embiid is out, but that’s a problem a dozen years in the making. The team has failed to get competent reserve big men play for the whole duration of the Embiid era even with it being a guarantee that Embiid will miss significant time annually.
All things considered, at least this is far less important than Greg Monroe being a -9 in under two minutes of play against Toronto in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals, right?
Paul George’s effort is awful
From a pure efficiency standpoint, Paul George’s Game 1 performance was passable. He had 17 points while shooting 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from deep and going 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Watching the actual game unfold, however, told a different story.
George’s defensive effort, maybe more than anything I witnessed on Sunday, infuriated me. The Sixers are going against likely the best wing tandem in the league with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. There was no Embiid waiting at the cup to protect the rim. I know he’s about to turn 36 years old and he’s not the All-Defensive guy he once was nearly a decade ago, but how about at least give the appearance of trying?
I know it’s ultimately the fault of the organization for handing George a contract he didn’t deserve at this stage of his star-studded career, but I’d like to see “Playoff P” attempt to live up to it, you know?
I winced in anticipation of a miss whenever Kelly Oubre shot a three-pointer
Kelly Oubre was 0-for-5 from deep on Sunday, including a few back-breaking, open-as-anything looks. That stands out in my mind, yes, but it would be wrong to not share the blame for the Sixers’ overall shooting woes. They were 4-of-23 on threes, clocking in at 17 percent. It’s nearly impossible to win in the modern NBA launching it up that poorly.
That checks out for a Sixers team that shot 34.9 percent from three in the regular season, which came in 23rd in the whole league. They’re also not hoisting enough threes to lean into wild shooting variance that could give them a puncher’s chance at a win against a heavily-favored Boston squad. The Celtics shot 44 threes in Game 1 compared to the Sixers’ 23. George and Tyrese Maxey need to let it fly with reckless abandon!
We meet again, Nikola Vučević
During the Sixers’ seven-game battle against the Celtics in the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Nikola Vučević was a first-round rookie for the team. He played just three minutes across that series even while starting center Spencer Hawes was completely lost out there while going against Kevin Garnett. I would’ve liked to have seen if he had legitimately anything to give the Sixers instead of watching Hawes!
Anyway, Vučević, who turned into a two-time All-Star over the years, came off the Celtics’ bench in Game 1 and gave them some competent help. It would’ve been nice for the Sixers to be on the receiving end of that 14 years ago!
The “We want Boston!” chants got turned on their heads
As the Sixers pulled away against the Magic in the Play-In, the South Philadelphia faithful began chanting, “We want Boston!” I personally wasn’t doing that at the arena because I knew what would await this team in the first round, but I don’t begrudge those fans too much who were living in the moment and doing that.
Celtics fans certainly took notice of it though.
As Boston thrashed the Sixers on Sunday and built a lead of 30-plus points, Celtics fans trolled Philadelphia with its own “We want Boston!” chants. It is what it is. If you want to dish it out, you have to be able to take it, too.
Maybe they’ll forget about that during Game 2?
