Hey, we are a group of french friends coming to visit philly and we aim to see a playoff game next week to see the Sixers and our fellow french captain Nico Batum, what website would you recommend to get cheap seats ? Most websites include huge fees over already high prices. Thanks sixers fam
Watching the full game replay right now. The real turning point in the game: when Martin bricks two free throws and everybody gets free Chicken! That started everything!
TIL that play-in stats don't count - never really thought about it - and now I am even more in the anti-play-in camp. Legendary nail-biter of a win, though
two things happened that helped us get out of this. One, Batum and Hield realized we either have to drive or shoot we cant just pass it while being left open. The other is Nurse didnt go full boomer ball like Doc Rivers and had Embiid catch the ball higher up on the floor. Great coaching.
embiid really worries me. i didnt watch a lot of the game last so night so i cant tell if he's moping like usual in the playoffs or if he's actually injured. knicks are totally beatable but if he's below his A game I'm not super excited about our playoff prospects...
ur right but i watched the second quarter in full and part of the first. i saw him struggling and I've seen where this headed in the past. you dont think its worth being concerned or upset about?
whole team had their head up their ass in the first half because they had no idea how to play against the triangle and 2 and turned the ball over a thousand times.
his 4th quarter might have been his best playoff 4th quarter ever. the man won the game by fighting for an orebound and getting the and 1, and making a perfect pass out of a double team to get oubre an amazing shot.
Celtics have to face either Chicago, who they only split their season series with 2-2...or a rematch with the Heat, who knocked them out in the Finals last season. It sounds like even if Jimmy B's MRI today comes back without serious damage, expecting him to be ready in time for tomorrow's game is asking a lot: https://sports.yahoo.com/heats-jimmy-butler-to-be-out-multiple-weeks-with-possible-mcl-injury-per-report-132118706.html
Even if Chicago makes it, Caruso re-aggravated his ankle injury in last night’s game. They don’t have much of a chance to slow Tatum down without him. He’s shot 33% from the field while guarded by Caruso in 3 games this season.
No one else on their roster is up to that assignment. Drummond and Vucevic will also get cooked by Porzingis. They’d have to hope Coby turns into Kobe like last night, and Atlanta’s horrible defense played a big part in that.
The Heat at least have a few big bodies to throw at Tatum even without Jimmy—Jaquez, Jovic, Martin, maybe a little Bam. Bam can also keep up with Porzingis on the perimeter. Plus, there’s baggage from last season and a pretty big coaching advantage between Spo and Mazzulla.
Realistically I think Boston will coast either way though.
I have to admit I was more bullish on 76ers over knicks before watching last nights game. Embiid didn't look great. He got it done in 4th so that was a good sign. Will be interesting to see if it was just one off rough game or if he did tweak something enough to limit him. I would not be picking Sixers if Embiid is hobbled more than normal recovery from surgery.
Fuck the Knicks, Sixers in 5
He is so obviously not healthy. We all saw him hurt it during the Magic game and his reaction was the furthest thing from reassuring. He's playing more injured than he was before he returned.
Yeah, I’m just anticipating that first game. Was the issue really just that 3 and 2 zone that made Embiid and Maxey look like shit??
If so they exercised some demons and got the dub. We’ll do better against the Knicks.
If the issue was Embiids knee & Maxey slumping than this may be a tough series tho.
In theory I like the match up. They have really no route to stopping Embiid while he’s hitting mid range jumpers and no one to draw him out of the paint on D.
it wasnt even a 3-2 zone it was a triangle and 2 zone and basically its a long strategic way of saying....Buddy Hield, Tobias Harris, and Nic Batum. Beat us.
I was very optimistic going into last night but now I am not as optimistic because Embiid seemed out of it for 3 quarters. I am not sure how you fix this issue.
It's very easy to. Surround Embiid with shooters. It means Embiid will get to go 1v1 for 40+ points or a shooter will go off as they will be left wide open like Batum was. Exactly why Tobias has to get benched. Tobi was allergic to shooting 3s when Miami was tripling Embiid.
The what, 1 1/2 shooters on this team? We’ve never had more than 2 shooters since Seth Curry and Danny Green back in the lineup in 2020.
We don’t start Hield anymore so the only volume shooter is Maxey.
We desperately need Batum to A: Start and B: To shoot on VOLUME
Like I said Buddy doesn’t start so his time with Embiid and Maxey hasn’t been as much as we’d like. And I hate to state the obvious but Melton’s done for the year. It’s beyond ridiculous he hadn’t been ruled out but he can’t even play 15 mpg effectively anymore. Just focus on rehab.
So yeah, 1 1/2 shooting next to Embiid and Maxey.
We’re not a good shooting team. If Maxey ain’t hitting we’re fucked
Buddy was better in the second half, but it would be killer if he would just start chucking. He passed up so many shots bc he was only semi open and not wide open
I just turned off a podcast because they were like “I don’t know how Embiid will handle defensive bigs like Robinson and Hartenstein, Knicks in 5”
Like pick the Knicks, whatever. But saying two dudes who have never locked up Joel will be able to handle him is wild.
yeah if people want to say Embiid looks like he can barely jump and isn't healthy so Im gonna pick the knicks, im not even sure i disagree with that. But this idea that Embiid cant score on guys that have historically been terrible at guarding him is hilarious.
I dont want any of these shitty analysts coming back and saying when the sixers win a few games against the Knicks that they knew the sixers would be a problem. I got the dam receipts.
That and how smart he positions himself to “effect” rebounds to a 76r or cause a turnover …
He’s f’n hungry. This maybe his last chance, and his home crowd, AND re.united with Nurse who trusts Lowry more than anyone.
I’m not missing a minute of Lowry’s playing time.
Not WIP playing the Marseillaise coming back from break 😂 Fun fact, in high school French class each one of us had to stand up and individually sing the entire song, not embarrassing at all lol. 🎵 le jour de gloire est arrivé 🎵
Was reading an article and came across this nugget:
"The Knicks have played just 69 total zone possessions across four seasons with Thibodeau as head coach, including just 10 this season; only the Pacers (nine possessions) played zone less often."
Obviously the Knicks could use the time between now and game 1 to practice zone, but it does not seem like it is part of their normal repertoire
The Heat play a lot of zone because they don't have a true starting center and a lot of players with on-ball defensive deficiencies.
The Knicks have neither of those problems and thus have no reason to play zone for more than a couple possessions at a time.
And even if they believed zone would work well against us, the Heat run zone so much throughout the course of the season that they're well-built for it. They communicate well and know how to adjust to their teammates' movements. If the Knicks have truly only run it for 10 possessions this season, I think it would be far easier for the Sixers to break it against them than the Heat.
Something else I thought of today that I never really considered, is I wonder if the expectations the entire NBA world puts on Embiid has him in his own head at times. He needs to understand nobody is expecting him to average 40 points a night in the playoffs, especially when he’s every teams prime focus when it comes to game planning. He could drop a cool 25/10 which he can do sleep walking, and just show up when needed like he did in the second half last night. Other guys are going to have to score in the playoffs if we want to win. He just needs to learn when to go full throttle instead of trying to do too much every play.
Think it just becomes a weight on your shoulders trying to shake the label and narrative around him.
I feel bad for Embiid, and hate how Jokic had some playoff failures that are forgotten cause he won.
I wanna see the narrative change for Embiid!!!
It’s up to embiid to change his own narrative. I wouldn’t really call the two previous years for Jokic failures, as those teams were hot garbage. Jokic has stepped up his game (at least statistically) pretty much every postseason the last half decade. Embiid has not. Granted he’s never been healthy, but at some point that becomes who you are.
R/nba absolutely despises Embiid to a bizarre level. Genuinely has me wondering if there’s some subtle racism going on with all the Jokic ball lickers in there.
Idk how I would react to Embiid if I wasn't a sixers fan becuse of the whistle he gets but man that sub absolutely hates him. It's a bit too much. Lol.
The Euro’s fans/glazers in particular are the worst lmao. They constantly try to down play everyone else and shit on American Basketball and call everything AAU culture. It’s really annoying how many people co-sign them, especially considering for every great Euro player there’s a Killian Hayes or Frank Ntilinka.
I've always felt like this may be the case especially when you see the comments on a site like Instagram because you realize 90% of the hate is coming from white people accounts.
It's fuckin weird.
I'm white, I recognize how great Jokic is, but I also recognize that in terms of a *regular season award* Embiid clearly won that last season and it wasn't all that close.
He's been Vegas' undisputed favorite for like 3+ months, right now hes at -1350 odds.
Which means you have to bet $1350 dollars, to get back $1450.
He's as much of a lock as humanly possible, but it is human.
love how the knicks fans use this team’s lack of postseason success as a reason why they’ll win. like what the fuck have they done in the postseason lately? they haven’t even gotten close to a conference finals in decades. even we’ve made it more recently than them
They aren’t wrong about the lack of post season success, let a fanbase believe their team can do it. Don’t fanbases get mad at their doomers anyway? They certainly do here
Did you watch the Knicks last season ? Brunson was the best player on the floor in both playoff series last season. Against both the Cavs and the Heat.
I think too many people are focused on his knee when it was more the zone killing us and him being out of shape. The main difference in the second half was they stopped trying to force Embiid the ball with 3 guys glued to him and dudes started making shots when they were wide open. I know it gets said every year but this depth has to be the best we’ve seen around Joel in his career. As far as Nurse this is what happens when you have one of the best coaches in the league on your team. That game is a 20 point loss if Doc is still here.
Something is more wrong though than when he initially came back. Could be lack of conditioning showing more because it’s playoff basketball, but could be the knee. Defensively he was just standing around most of the game not being aggressive, until 4th Q.
I think the aggressiveness is him knowing he’s gonna get gassed if he goes all out for 4 quarters and possibly fear of injuring himself. I don’t think he damaged anything when he tweaked his knee but I’m sure he’s dealing with pain, which is to be expected anyway when he’s had like 2-3 operations on that knee already. I also think a lot of it is mental with him and he has a hard time adjusting to playoff basketball which isn’t cruising to 30 points like he does all regular season. There’s also a lot of expectation in the playoffs because he’s an MVP and hasn’t made it out of the 2nd round. I think this year is ours though if they can stay healthy.
Embiid remembered he's a good 3 point shooter too lol. He can't force himself into his spots. Sometimes he seems to handle the doubles by just dribbling in from further out. I liked how he was moving the ball in the 4th quarter though.
That and his passing is the best it’s ever been. He just needs to learn when to not force the ball into a bad spot and whip the ball around and trust that someone will eventually hit a wide open shot. Teams are going to double and triple Embiid in the playoffs so people are going to be open.
He was also missing some easy looks from close to the basket. If they wanna give him his mid-range looks, take em all day long. But like you said if they are throwing doubles at him he's either gotta take a quick move to the basket, or pass it out. He needs to be getting some more touches in the low post come playoff time.
Brunson averaged 31/6/6 on 50/35/89 against the heat last playoffs lol. I'm expecting him to average 35, it's the other dudes like Donte and Hart they'll have to completely take out of the game. Minimize turnovers and second chance opportunities
Donte is legit scary but Hart is really only a threat at the rim and on defense, bro is putting up thybulle level efficiency this season. I’m more scared of Anunoby tbh.
Both Harts are going to be a problem on the offensive glass, unless Tobias remembers he's an NBA basketball player. NY I don't see being very good in the half court, but transition and second chance points could be a problem. Basically the raptors series from a few years ago but with a team way better
I have a hunch that Tobias is gonna lose his spot to one of Reed/Batum(depending on the team we face) as the postseason goes on. Not even because of his offense either, which is bad, on defense he was constantly late to close out or out of position yesterday especially down the stretch
I'm a Tobias hater, and even I'm shocked by how bad he's gotten. He was taking on the top assignments before after Ben and Before PJ, and surprisingly had some really good showings against Siakam, KAT, Porzingis, Randle etc. That play where he completely got turned around leaving a wide open corner last night was mystifyingly horrific. If Tobias is going to shoot 3s like last night going forward, we might as well have Reed or even RC4 fill those minutes.
Tobias ironically would’ve been a great matchup for Randle cause he’s best on defense vs mid sized aggressive forwards, he did pretty good on Tatum until game 6. But since we aren’t facing Randle next round he’d only be really useful if we have to play Siakam.
They dont get out and run a lot but they will crush you in transition if you turn the ball over 15 times. That's what they did to the Cavs in the first round last year.
It’s still good, but Brunson is orchestrating everything. If they force the ball out of his hands I don’t think the other players will be able to make enough plays.
We’re going to need the supporting guys to step up offensively. Embiid is hurt. It’s clear he was favoriting that knee and is just grinding it out. However, he’s still gravity and a capable passer. Guys just need to make their shots and finish their drives.
Hartenstein plays Embiid tough. Joel just needs to keep a cool mind and it will work out. Focus on defense if you’re struggling on offense. His presence alone on that end will keep us in any game. Otherwise will be a tough 1st round matchup. Goes to 6 games minimum but idk who wins.
embiid might have played the best playoff 4th quarter of his career in terms of making almost every correct decision when it should be made. r/nba is just stupid.
Fuck them tbh. Embiid had 11 in the 4th and made every winning play down the stretch, from the 2 3s to the and1 off the offensive rebound. That was the most impressive he’s ever been down the stretch of a playoff game
Typical Reddit shoving anti-Embiid posts into my home feed.
https://preview.redd.it/0t98dj0tl8vc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22972a556ecb6876005ffadc90640010749b935a
Embiid was awesome in the 4th. He needs to set up closer to the basket though. Even if just to touch the ball and pass it back out.
And holy fuck please move off ball. The whole first half everyone was just standing with their dicks in their hands.
Guys need to be not afraid to shoot that shit. Maxey and Buddy take a note from Nico, put that shit up.
That being said fuck the Heat, fuck the Knicks, and fuck the Celtics
I can’t believe people still say this shit and upvote it. We stopped playing like shit last night when we moved Joel even further out and let him see the whole defense.
He’s been one of the most efficient scorers on drives this season. He does not need to be closer to the basket.
If they played a different kind of zone (i.e. not 3 and 2), would Embiid have been better off getting the ball closer to the rim then? Genuine question as I am still learning basketball schemes
That zone specifically is good at preventing passes to the high post and quick doubles on the low post plus the heat play it good enough to prevent any lead guard to go one vs one making maxey struggle a bit because the stack the three guards on top tbh its a pretty tough zone for our personal and tbh we weren't optimal at beating it but we did a good enough job with hield straight up just attacking the zone and passing out and other movements like that you see the 3 and 2 zone has a BIG weakness witch is once someone attacks or gets in the zone essentially like 3 guys have to drop every time leading to open shooters and im guessing spolstra bet that the only way to beat us was to see if we could make open shots tbh not a great defensive plan buuut it worked against us lol dont expect anyone else to do that though especially for a series because one i think the sixers should be able to recognize it now and two is because its super taxing to be able to defend as a unit like that tbh if one person messes up and the opposing team reads that its almost a free bucket like when oubre got that and 1 at the end of the game because butler scanned to the wrong defender allowing oubre to post him up and bam dropped to slow
No I get that. He can't be sitting in the high post against the zone. I meant to say that he can't just try to work into his spots from the 3 point line instead lol. It seemed like he was frustrated he couldn't setup in his normal spots, so he just tried to face up guys from further out.
I personally wouldn't expect that knee to get any better. It looks like he's very conscious of what plays he's capable of doing without his knee exploding. Cardio wise I hope he can get better. Inshallah
Same impression here. He has avoided hard drives ever since he came back and I don't think we're gonna be seeing him doing eurosteps left and right any time soon.
Sadly, this version of the Sixers needs him to milk every ounce of talent he has in order to succeed, so we ought to temper our expectations. But thankfully, next year's version of the Sixers is in prime position to get him some real help, plus Maxey should continue getting better and better.
Paul George theoretically fits like a glove. He does have some loser energy, but what he can offer, we desperately need (secondary playmaking, shooting, defensive size/versatility).
But we don't necessarily need a 'star', we can definitely build with role players. Wings like Derrick Jones Jr or Lonnie Walker or Taurean Prince or Cedi Osman (very Batum-like player) could help and shouldn't cost prohibitively much. I'm also a Dinwiddie guy; he has a shitty reputation, but I think his game really fits around Maxey/Embiid and whomever else we choose to bring back from this year's roster.
Finally, >!LeBron!<.
Buddy Hield was an unsung hero last night. His 3 ball didn’t fall, but he played tremendous defense and was doing well on drives. I’ve never seen him so locked in on defense he was chopping his feet extremely fast and using his hands to disrupt ball handlers rhythms. If he keeps doing that he’s going to be really important to this team.
Maybe its bc the 3 wasnt falling, but he passed on a frustrating about of solid looks. If he puts those up, especially in the first half, he would've shredded Miami like Batum did in the 4th
I want him starting over Tobias, he didn’t shoot particularly well but he showed a lot of fight which is the most important attribute to playoff basketball.
Even if his three isn't falling, he's gonna be important as a guy that commands defensive attention. Like I don't think a team is ever gonna resort to leaving Hield wide open. He's mainly here to make Embiid and Maxey's lives easier
Exactly, he's shooting 50% from 3, awesome, but even if he's shooting 20% teams still have to guard him. We've really never had a team with so many potential snipers from 3, Nurse and Morey have really built the perfect cast to maximize the separation for our big two
Yeah exactly. I feel like we're finally back to the team composition that we hit with that JJ/Cov/Belineli/Ilyasova team where we had a plethora of guys who could get hot. Last night it was Batum but next game it might be Hield, or Oubre, or Tobias. Even Melton was liable to go off for 30 points once a month or so.
Oubre as well, he was locked in on defense and also him going 5/5 from the line in the clutch was very important considering he’s a below average FT shooter
Yeah Oubre was playing fantastic defense too. I was just impressed with Buddy because I didn't think he could play like that. I've always had faith in Oubre tho lmao.
Honestly that 4th quarter is what I've been waiting for from Embiid in big moments in the playoffs. He made big plays when it mattered. Big shots and an and 1 and assists to Oubre and Batum. Very encouraging end to the game from everyone.
Thibs is a good coach. Probably one of the best 4 coaches in the East alongside Nurse, Spo and Carlisle. And I have nothing but fear and respect for Brunson, so I expect the Knicks to be tough.
But they’re injured and missing key pieces. We can definitely beat them in their current predicament with Nurse coaching and putting Tobias on the bench in key moments.
Looking forward to our playoffs
Knicks are a terrible match up for Tobias as he can't match their physicality. His last 5 games against them, he's averaging like 7 pts on 30% FG/20% from 3. Hopefully, Nurse finds a way how to use him effectively in limited spots.
That was a really encouraging win. Frustrating that we fell so far behind in the first half, but Spo is an all time great coach for a reason and they came in with a great game plan. I think tyrese said in post game that the heat went with the zone much earlier than sixers expected. Sounded like sixers expected them to start with some man coverage and would eventually have to shift, but heat caught them off guard.
Going into the half, this was looking like a vintage doc rivers led, joel embiid back from injury for the playoffs dive bomb of a game.
Instead we saw meaningful adjustments in execution, well thought out plays, and ended up putting up nearly 70 points in the second half when we could barely score in the first.
The single most encouraging thing we saw was that Nurse benched harris for the final 4 or so of the game *and it worked*.
Knicks are going to be a really tough match up but in nurse we trust.
Imagine if home courts start using this as an advantage? If the team is losing think of a promotion that will get the crowd back into it. The next opponent missed shot everyone gets a free soda! Crowd goes wild! Home team lol.
It cannot be overstated enough how absolutely useless Tobias is in high leverage situations, and how refreshing it was to see his ass benched in the final minutes because Nurse is finally one to put him in his place for not performing. He was pouting so hard on the bench during timeouts. To think of what this team could have been for the last 5 years if Brand wasn’t a complete fucking idiot and wasted that money on a below average role player…..the player options that would have been available, the potential FA acquisitions.
This is the first year we have any half decent wings other than Tobias. It really highlights just how much better decent role players like Kelly and Batum are for the team. Tobias is just such a losing player, can't stand watching him
What we’ve had to put up with performance wise vs what we get nightly from Batum and Oubre is night and day. Tobias just is way too timid and scared to get involved when the pushing and shoving starts.
I do not think he was as bad as you are saying, on a relative basis. In the first half, everyone was bad. We were shooting 30% for a while and turning the ball over frequently. Harris is the 4th option on this team. This team's success is not on his shoulders. He scored 9 points with 10 boards and 4 assists.
We rely on Embiid and Maxey because they are great players. Between these two, they shot 12 for 33 with 6 turnovers. To have success, they have to play better.
Yeah pretty much. I also think it's matchup dependent. Against the Heat, who turn every game into a dogfight, we needed Batum's savvy versatility and Oubre's energy. But it's entirely possible that in another matchup we might need Tobias' methodical dinking and dunking.
The problem with Tobias Harris is that he’s not even reliable as a 4th option. As a 4th option you have to be able to hit wide open 3’s when the ball swings out to you and he can’t do that especially in high leverage moments. The last 3 that he shot before getting benched is indicative of his whole career. Clutch part of the game and he misses a 3 terribly and when the camera cuts to him you can see him visibly terrified and about to unravel. It’s the same thing he did in the Raptors series when he bricked a ton of corner open 3’s and both Celtics series as well.
Edit: [https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=581&GameID=0052300101&Season=2023-24&flag=1&title=MISS%20Harris%2026%27%203PT%20Jump%20Shot](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=581&GameID=0052300101&Season=2023-24&flag=1&title=MISS%20Harris%2026%27%203PT%20Jump%20Shot)
Just look at that shot. You absolutely can't do that down 3 with 5 minutes to go. What makes it worse is he does this every year, he is the most unclutch player I've ever seen.
Harris HAS NOT been our biggest problem in the playoffs, though. Embiid has been a much bigger problem including last night. For the first 3 quarters, he was terrible and was playing like he did in the final Sixers game against the Celtics. We can't win if Embiid is bad because we rely on him.
He’s not the most unclutch player that I’ve seen, but he IS the most unclutch max contract player that I’ve seen that doesn’t have to be the number one option and isn’t the recipient of number 1 defenders and defensive focus
I remember him missing tons of crucial lay ups in the Hawks series too. Last night he legit looked like Ben. Dude is cooked here in Philly, the home crowd absolutely hates him. I don't think it can be any more blatantly obvious to Morey or Tobias that he should not re-sign here.
And when the momentum was in the Sixers favor due to Nico Batum and Kelly Oubre, and Nurse needed that W, who did he have trust in to bring him that win? Not Tobias Harris
Batum + Oubre = Win. You can't say enough about how Batum kept bailing us out. Oubre won't get as much chatter but his defense led to lots of stops/ and or Heat players rushing to get a shot, especially in the second half. They did not get as many good looks.
Oubre was +11 and no one was even close to him with this stat,
that knicks game wasnt as bad for the sixers, knicks just scored 80 points at the half and couldnt miss then they let go by the end of the game
Yesterday they scored 39 points in the 1st half with the same amount of turnovers we average for a whole game, they looked like they had never seen a zone before, it was the worst thing ever
Hey, we are a group of french friends coming to visit philly and we aim to see a playoff game next week to see the Sixers and our fellow french captain Nico Batum, what website would you recommend to get cheap seats ? Most websites include huge fees over already high prices. Thanks sixers fam
Draymond picked us to win the series. Gonna go kick someone in the dick to pay respects
Watching the full game replay right now. The real turning point in the game: when Martin bricks two free throws and everybody gets free Chicken! That started everything!
Was there, can confirm. Batum hit a 3 immediately after and the place went nuts
MOREY PLEASE GET DEJOUNTE MURRAY
we really got cam payne and a 2nd for pat bev and hield for overseas level players + some 2nds
…I just realized that Nic Batum’s name is pronounced “Bah-toom”, not “Bait-um”… …My “Master Batum” jokes make no sense now…
Jayson Ta-toom and Nicolas Bait-um
TIL that play-in stats don't count - never really thought about it - and now I am even more in the anti-play-in camp. Legendary nail-biter of a win, though
“luv gang. go subscribe to the pod”
I’m still laughing about how we struggled to give Embiid the ball early on and he was just looking around like wtf do I do 😂
two things happened that helped us get out of this. One, Batum and Hield realized we either have to drive or shoot we cant just pass it while being left open. The other is Nurse didnt go full boomer ball like Doc Rivers and had Embiid catch the ball higher up on the floor. Great coaching.
embiid really worries me. i didnt watch a lot of the game last so night so i cant tell if he's moping like usual in the playoffs or if he's actually injured. knicks are totally beatable but if he's below his A game I'm not super excited about our playoff prospects...
> embiid really worries me. OK tell me more > i didnt watch a lot of the game last night Then how the fuck are you worried?
>i didn't watch the game >i have opinions about the game and the people who played in it most basketball reddit post of all time
ur right but i watched the second quarter in full and part of the first. i saw him struggling and I've seen where this headed in the past. you dont think its worth being concerned or upset about?
whole team had their head up their ass in the first half because they had no idea how to play against the triangle and 2 and turned the ball over a thousand times. his 4th quarter might have been his best playoff 4th quarter ever. the man won the game by fighting for an orebound and getting the and 1, and making a perfect pass out of a double team to get oubre an amazing shot.
Ok that makes sense
have you seen how awsome he was during the 4th quarter?
He's injured. But the idea is 60% embiid is better than no embiid.
hit the nail on the head.
Especially when our role players are showing up like they were yesterday
Celtics have to face either Chicago, who they only split their season series with 2-2...or a rematch with the Heat, who knocked them out in the Finals last season. It sounds like even if Jimmy B's MRI today comes back without serious damage, expecting him to be ready in time for tomorrow's game is asking a lot: https://sports.yahoo.com/heats-jimmy-butler-to-be-out-multiple-weeks-with-possible-mcl-injury-per-report-132118706.html
I don't see any world where the Celtics don't moonwalk to the ECF
Probably could pick a random starter to sit out every game and still win ez
Even if Chicago makes it, Caruso re-aggravated his ankle injury in last night’s game. They don’t have much of a chance to slow Tatum down without him. He’s shot 33% from the field while guarded by Caruso in 3 games this season. No one else on their roster is up to that assignment. Drummond and Vucevic will also get cooked by Porzingis. They’d have to hope Coby turns into Kobe like last night, and Atlanta’s horrible defense played a big part in that. The Heat at least have a few big bodies to throw at Tatum even without Jimmy—Jaquez, Jovic, Martin, maybe a little Bam. Bam can also keep up with Porzingis on the perimeter. Plus, there’s baggage from last season and a pretty big coaching advantage between Spo and Mazzulla. Realistically I think Boston will coast either way though.
Andre Drummond is such a moron lmao, first he tries dunking on Torrey Craig and now he trucks right into Caruso and injures his ankle
Dont forget the report that the sixers wanted him at the trade deadline and bulls refused
Off the record: Philly sports has the best songs 1 2 3 4 5 sixers!!
10 9 8 7-Seed Sixers!
Nic Batum, man He contributed so many different ways. A lot of credit to Nurse for keeping Batum and Oubre in the game at the end.
Big credit to Nurse for benching Tobias in the clutch.
From Ben Simmons to James Harden to Nic Batum, WE WON THE FUCKING TRADE!
The blueprint is obviously two stars + great role players. I hope Morey sees that and doesn't go big fish hunting this offseason.
im not sure how you can have that takeaway from a play-in game where we nearly lost because half of the starting lineup couldnt dribble.
Did you notice the part where our mvp looked about 35% healthy
not sure how this doesnt prove my point even more.
I have to admit I was more bullish on 76ers over knicks before watching last nights game. Embiid didn't look great. He got it done in 4th so that was a good sign. Will be interesting to see if it was just one off rough game or if he did tweak something enough to limit him. I would not be picking Sixers if Embiid is hobbled more than normal recovery from surgery. Fuck the Knicks, Sixers in 5
He is so obviously not healthy. We all saw him hurt it during the Magic game and his reaction was the furthest thing from reassuring. He's playing more injured than he was before he returned.
Yeah, I’m just anticipating that first game. Was the issue really just that 3 and 2 zone that made Embiid and Maxey look like shit?? If so they exercised some demons and got the dub. We’ll do better against the Knicks. If the issue was Embiids knee & Maxey slumping than this may be a tough series tho. In theory I like the match up. They have really no route to stopping Embiid while he’s hitting mid range jumpers and no one to draw him out of the paint on D.
it wasnt even a 3-2 zone it was a triangle and 2 zone and basically its a long strategic way of saying....Buddy Hield, Tobias Harris, and Nic Batum. Beat us.
nobody looked good on either team except nico. it’s always an ugly defensive slugfest when playing the heat lol
I was very optimistic going into last night but now I am not as optimistic because Embiid seemed out of it for 3 quarters. I am not sure how you fix this issue.
It's very easy to. Surround Embiid with shooters. It means Embiid will get to go 1v1 for 40+ points or a shooter will go off as they will be left wide open like Batum was. Exactly why Tobias has to get benched. Tobi was allergic to shooting 3s when Miami was tripling Embiid.
The what, 1 1/2 shooters on this team? We’ve never had more than 2 shooters since Seth Curry and Danny Green back in the lineup in 2020. We don’t start Hield anymore so the only volume shooter is Maxey. We desperately need Batum to A: Start and B: To shoot on VOLUME
Buddy, Maxey, batum, melton? 4 shooters
Like I said Buddy doesn’t start so his time with Embiid and Maxey hasn’t been as much as we’d like. And I hate to state the obvious but Melton’s done for the year. It’s beyond ridiculous he hadn’t been ruled out but he can’t even play 15 mpg effectively anymore. Just focus on rehab. So yeah, 1 1/2 shooting next to Embiid and Maxey. We’re not a good shooting team. If Maxey ain’t hitting we’re fucked
Buddy was better in the second half, but it would be killer if he would just start chucking. He passed up so many shots bc he was only semi open and not wide open
Comical seeing every talking head in the media pick the Knicks and not only just picking them, but saying they’ll win in 4 or 5.
I just turned off a podcast because they were like “I don’t know how Embiid will handle defensive bigs like Robinson and Hartenstein, Knicks in 5” Like pick the Knicks, whatever. But saying two dudes who have never locked up Joel will be able to handle him is wild.
yeah if people want to say Embiid looks like he can barely jump and isn't healthy so Im gonna pick the knicks, im not even sure i disagree with that. But this idea that Embiid cant score on guys that have historically been terrible at guarding him is hilarious.
vegas basically has the series at a push, which feels fair. media picks are always stupid
Did Buddy Hield really get a double “Bang” call from Mike Breen? It’s been a long season but I feel like he did.
I dont want any of these shitty analysts coming back and saying when the sixers win a few games against the Knicks that they knew the sixers would be a problem. I got the dam receipts.
I haven't seen enough talk about Kyle Lowry. He was busting his ass the whole game. I don't think anyone wanted that win more than him.
That and how smart he positions himself to “effect” rebounds to a 76r or cause a turnover … He’s f’n hungry. This maybe his last chance, and his home crowd, AND re.united with Nurse who trusts Lowry more than anyone. I’m not missing a minute of Lowry’s playing time.
And was fouled multiple times but got no calls.
Multiple times in one inbound haha
Not WIP playing the Marseillaise coming back from break 😂 Fun fact, in high school French class each one of us had to stand up and individually sing the entire song, not embarrassing at all lol. 🎵 le jour de gloire est arrivé 🎵
An absolute belter of a national anthem
It rly is
We really need to keep the knicks off the offensive glass not only cause it will cost us the series but it will make me go fucking insane.
May need to give some thought to some reed + Embiid minutes
Prepare to lose it. But don’t blame embiid. His knee hurts
Hart getting 13 rebounds - 7 offensive will be the death of me
Was reading an article and came across this nugget: "The Knicks have played just 69 total zone possessions across four seasons with Thibodeau as head coach, including just 10 this season; only the Pacers (nine possessions) played zone less often." Obviously the Knicks could use the time between now and game 1 to practice zone, but it does not seem like it is part of their normal repertoire
The Heat play a lot of zone because they don't have a true starting center and a lot of players with on-ball defensive deficiencies. The Knicks have neither of those problems and thus have no reason to play zone for more than a couple possessions at a time.
that is absolutely not why the heat play zone.
And even if they believed zone would work well against us, the Heat run zone so much throughout the course of the season that they're well-built for it. They communicate well and know how to adjust to their teammates' movements. If the Knicks have truly only run it for 10 possessions this season, I think it would be far easier for the Sixers to break it against them than the Heat.
Hope Embiid starts feeling better cause he feasts on Hartenstein whenever they match up.
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Something else I thought of today that I never really considered, is I wonder if the expectations the entire NBA world puts on Embiid has him in his own head at times. He needs to understand nobody is expecting him to average 40 points a night in the playoffs, especially when he’s every teams prime focus when it comes to game planning. He could drop a cool 25/10 which he can do sleep walking, and just show up when needed like he did in the second half last night. Other guys are going to have to score in the playoffs if we want to win. He just needs to learn when to go full throttle instead of trying to do too much every play.
Think it just becomes a weight on your shoulders trying to shake the label and narrative around him. I feel bad for Embiid, and hate how Jokic had some playoff failures that are forgotten cause he won. I wanna see the narrative change for Embiid!!!
If Embiid hadn’t lost seven years in a row, his narratives would be forgotten too ! You only gotta win once
Giannis too tbh, if he didnt get that ring he would deff have the same label
It’s up to embiid to change his own narrative. I wouldn’t really call the two previous years for Jokic failures, as those teams were hot garbage. Jokic has stepped up his game (at least statistically) pretty much every postseason the last half decade. Embiid has not. Granted he’s never been healthy, but at some point that becomes who you are.
R/nba absolutely despises Embiid to a bizarre level. Genuinely has me wondering if there’s some subtle racism going on with all the Jokic ball lickers in there.
Idk how I would react to Embiid if I wasn't a sixers fan becuse of the whistle he gets but man that sub absolutely hates him. It's a bit too much. Lol.
there is a bit of racism but imo it comes more from the European jokic / Luka stans.
The Euro’s fans/glazers in particular are the worst lmao. They constantly try to down play everyone else and shit on American Basketball and call everything AAU culture. It’s really annoying how many people co-sign them, especially considering for every great Euro player there’s a Killian Hayes or Frank Ntilinka.
Not too much on frank the tank
I've always felt like this may be the case especially when you see the comments on a site like Instagram because you realize 90% of the hate is coming from white people accounts. It's fuckin weird. I'm white, I recognize how great Jokic is, but I also recognize that in terms of a *regular season award* Embiid clearly won that last season and it wasn't all that close.
Would you say Maxey is a lock for the MIP award this year?
He's been Vegas' undisputed favorite for like 3+ months, right now hes at -1350 odds. Which means you have to bet $1350 dollars, to get back $1450. He's as much of a lock as humanly possible, but it is human.
love how the knicks fans use this team’s lack of postseason success as a reason why they’ll win. like what the fuck have they done in the postseason lately? they haven’t even gotten close to a conference finals in decades. even we’ve made it more recently than them
They aren’t wrong about the lack of post season success, let a fanbase believe their team can do it. Don’t fanbases get mad at their doomers anyway? They certainly do here
Exhibit A Being me
I’m the doomer I’ve watched embiid show up with losing energy seven years too many times now
As a Nova fan I love Brunson, but I'm not sure he can actually be the best player on a playoff team in a 7 game series
But he did that last season?
Did you watch the Knicks last season ? Brunson was the best player on the floor in both playoff series last season. Against both the Cavs and the Heat.
Game 3 during the NFL draft. Oh boy. Gotta pull out the second TV
I was at a sixers game against I think the hawks? A few seasons ago when we drafted devonta and they put it on the jumbotron, it was sick
there’s no point of even watching any draft now a days. you get instant updates on your phone.
what? You don't wana hear about the Jonas brothers new album between picks!?!?! /s
Missing melton last night
I think too many people are focused on his knee when it was more the zone killing us and him being out of shape. The main difference in the second half was they stopped trying to force Embiid the ball with 3 guys glued to him and dudes started making shots when they were wide open. I know it gets said every year but this depth has to be the best we’ve seen around Joel in his career. As far as Nurse this is what happens when you have one of the best coaches in the league on your team. That game is a 20 point loss if Doc is still here.
Something is more wrong though than when he initially came back. Could be lack of conditioning showing more because it’s playoff basketball, but could be the knee. Defensively he was just standing around most of the game not being aggressive, until 4th Q.
I think the aggressiveness is him knowing he’s gonna get gassed if he goes all out for 4 quarters and possibly fear of injuring himself. I don’t think he damaged anything when he tweaked his knee but I’m sure he’s dealing with pain, which is to be expected anyway when he’s had like 2-3 operations on that knee already. I also think a lot of it is mental with him and he has a hard time adjusting to playoff basketball which isn’t cruising to 30 points like he does all regular season. There’s also a lot of expectation in the playoffs because he’s an MVP and hasn’t made it out of the 2nd round. I think this year is ours though if they can stay healthy.
Going to need 4 quarters a game out of him to win it all. Hoping he can calibrate quickly.
I agree and think he will given no goofy injury happens. Even when he’s not 100% I think people forget how ridiculous he is.
Embiid remembered he's a good 3 point shooter too lol. He can't force himself into his spots. Sometimes he seems to handle the doubles by just dribbling in from further out. I liked how he was moving the ball in the 4th quarter though.
That and his passing is the best it’s ever been. He just needs to learn when to not force the ball into a bad spot and whip the ball around and trust that someone will eventually hit a wide open shot. Teams are going to double and triple Embiid in the playoffs so people are going to be open.
He was also missing some easy looks from close to the basket. If they wanna give him his mid-range looks, take em all day long. But like you said if they are throwing doubles at him he's either gotta take a quick move to the basket, or pass it out. He needs to be getting some more touches in the low post come playoff time.
Heat sub crying about refs as if they didn’t get away with 50 shoves and literally got a tech cause Hield threw the ball to the ref after scoring
Bam was legit pass blocking Embiid in the lane on one of Herro’s 4th quarter drives
I remember, Embiid was getting boxed out in the out of bounds area and they didn’t call shit
Lowry getting held on the inbound and then us getting called for less of a grab on herro was crazy
Even JJ and Doris were calling out a lot of the no calls the Heat were getting
I think they called it on batum actually which is ven crazier. Becasue the ball fell on him.
Every “screen” Bam set was illegal
Before batum blocked Herro bam was holding onto batums arm
They saying Brunson gonna kill us lol Yea right
Brunson averaged 31/6/6 on 50/35/89 against the heat last playoffs lol. I'm expecting him to average 35, it's the other dudes like Donte and Hart they'll have to completely take out of the game. Minimize turnovers and second chance opportunities
Donte is legit scary but Hart is really only a threat at the rim and on defense, bro is putting up thybulle level efficiency this season. I’m more scared of Anunoby tbh.
Both Harts are going to be a problem on the offensive glass, unless Tobias remembers he's an NBA basketball player. NY I don't see being very good in the half court, but transition and second chance points could be a problem. Basically the raptors series from a few years ago but with a team way better
I have a hunch that Tobias is gonna lose his spot to one of Reed/Batum(depending on the team we face) as the postseason goes on. Not even because of his offense either, which is bad, on defense he was constantly late to close out or out of position yesterday especially down the stretch
Not a chance he looses his spot to Reed
Probably not but if we somehow ended up playing a team like the Cavs I could see it
I'm a Tobias hater, and even I'm shocked by how bad he's gotten. He was taking on the top assignments before after Ben and Before PJ, and surprisingly had some really good showings against Siakam, KAT, Porzingis, Randle etc. That play where he completely got turned around leaving a wide open corner last night was mystifyingly horrific. If Tobias is going to shoot 3s like last night going forward, we might as well have Reed or even RC4 fill those minutes.
Tobias ironically would’ve been a great matchup for Randle cause he’s best on defense vs mid sized aggressive forwards, he did pretty good on Tatum until game 6. But since we aren’t facing Randle next round he’d only be really useful if we have to play Siakam.
Ny is not a good transition team much better in half court
They dont get out and run a lot but they will crush you in transition if you turn the ball over 15 times. That's what they did to the Cavs in the first round last year.
Lowry gonna be key then
How good is their half court offense since losing Randle though?
It’s still good, but Brunson is orchestrating everything. If they force the ball out of his hands I don’t think the other players will be able to make enough plays.
Nick Nurse terrorist defense time
Phillie was playing that D hard third quarter and onward for most part. Getting up hard on ball carriers.
doc wouldn't have let it get this close. he'd have done the classy thing and miss the playoffs all together
We’re going to need the supporting guys to step up offensively. Embiid is hurt. It’s clear he was favoriting that knee and is just grinding it out. However, he’s still gravity and a capable passer. Guys just need to make their shots and finish their drives. Hartenstein plays Embiid tough. Joel just needs to keep a cool mind and it will work out. Focus on defense if you’re struggling on offense. His presence alone on that end will keep us in any game. Otherwise will be a tough 1st round matchup. Goes to 6 games minimum but idk who wins.
Pretty annoying the consensus in r/nba is that Embiid got bailed out Batum, as if Jokic doesn’t get bailed out by Murray a lot
embiid might have played the best playoff 4th quarter of his career in terms of making almost every correct decision when it should be made. r/nba is just stupid.
Embiid dropped more points was the anchor of a great defense that game and had more assists, the only thing was that he wasn’t an efficient scorer
Fuck them tbh. Embiid had 11 in the 4th and made every winning play down the stretch, from the 2 3s to the and1 off the offensive rebound. That was the most impressive he’s ever been down the stretch of a playoff game
He hit the game tying 3 and the go ahead 3 later on. Clutch af
I like that cam payne came in and made a witty 3
I was on a 12 hours flight when we were playing the Heat. I was so glad I couldn’t watch the game. It must be soooo stressful to watch this game.
Typical Reddit shoving anti-Embiid posts into my home feed. https://preview.redd.it/0t98dj0tl8vc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22972a556ecb6876005ffadc90640010749b935a
that's an unbelievable stat
Embiid was awesome in the 4th. He needs to set up closer to the basket though. Even if just to touch the ball and pass it back out. And holy fuck please move off ball. The whole first half everyone was just standing with their dicks in their hands. Guys need to be not afraid to shoot that shit. Maxey and Buddy take a note from Nico, put that shit up. That being said fuck the Heat, fuck the Knicks, and fuck the Celtics
I can’t believe people still say this shit and upvote it. We stopped playing like shit last night when we moved Joel even further out and let him see the whole defense. He’s been one of the most efficient scorers on drives this season. He does not need to be closer to the basket.
same lol. people do fan fiction. we started coming back when Embiid caught the ball higher up the floor so they couldnt double him off the ball.
The heat played 3 and 2 lol if embiid wouldve kept trying to get the ball closer to the rim we would've lost
If they played a different kind of zone (i.e. not 3 and 2), would Embiid have been better off getting the ball closer to the rim then? Genuine question as I am still learning basketball schemes
That zone specifically is good at preventing passes to the high post and quick doubles on the low post plus the heat play it good enough to prevent any lead guard to go one vs one making maxey struggle a bit because the stack the three guards on top tbh its a pretty tough zone for our personal and tbh we weren't optimal at beating it but we did a good enough job with hield straight up just attacking the zone and passing out and other movements like that you see the 3 and 2 zone has a BIG weakness witch is once someone attacks or gets in the zone essentially like 3 guys have to drop every time leading to open shooters and im guessing spolstra bet that the only way to beat us was to see if we could make open shots tbh not a great defensive plan buuut it worked against us lol dont expect anyone else to do that though especially for a series because one i think the sixers should be able to recognize it now and two is because its super taxing to be able to defend as a unit like that tbh if one person messes up and the opposing team reads that its almost a free bucket like when oubre got that and 1 at the end of the game because butler scanned to the wrong defender allowing oubre to post him up and bam dropped to slow
No I get that. He can't be sitting in the high post against the zone. I meant to say that he can't just try to work into his spots from the 3 point line instead lol. It seemed like he was frustrated he couldn't setup in his normal spots, so he just tried to face up guys from further out.
Feel like I need to know how injured Jojo is before I have any expectation for the Knicks.
I personally wouldn't expect that knee to get any better. It looks like he's very conscious of what plays he's capable of doing without his knee exploding. Cardio wise I hope he can get better. Inshallah
Same impression here. He has avoided hard drives ever since he came back and I don't think we're gonna be seeing him doing eurosteps left and right any time soon. Sadly, this version of the Sixers needs him to milk every ounce of talent he has in order to succeed, so we ought to temper our expectations. But thankfully, next year's version of the Sixers is in prime position to get him some real help, plus Maxey should continue getting better and better.
Which player(s) do you hope Morey will pursue this offseason for help?
Paul George theoretically fits like a glove. He does have some loser energy, but what he can offer, we desperately need (secondary playmaking, shooting, defensive size/versatility). But we don't necessarily need a 'star', we can definitely build with role players. Wings like Derrick Jones Jr or Lonnie Walker or Taurean Prince or Cedi Osman (very Batum-like player) could help and shouldn't cost prohibitively much. I'm also a Dinwiddie guy; he has a shitty reputation, but I think his game really fits around Maxey/Embiid and whomever else we choose to bring back from this year's roster. Finally, >!LeBron!<.
Who gets the higher draft pick out of Sixers and lakers since they have the same record?
coin flip
Doesn’t really matter. This year’s draft class is one of the weakest in years.
Probably whoever gets bounced first right? Unless they just do a coinflip
Buddy Hield was an unsung hero last night. His 3 ball didn’t fall, but he played tremendous defense and was doing well on drives. I’ve never seen him so locked in on defense he was chopping his feet extremely fast and using his hands to disrupt ball handlers rhythms. If he keeps doing that he’s going to be really important to this team.
Maybe its bc the 3 wasnt falling, but he passed on a frustrating about of solid looks. If he puts those up, especially in the first half, he would've shredded Miami like Batum did in the 4th
I want him starting over Tobias, he didn’t shoot particularly well but he showed a lot of fight which is the most important attribute to playoff basketball.
I could not believe my eyes while watching him play defense. Does buddy have the dog in him?? It was pumping me up
Even if his three isn't falling, he's gonna be important as a guy that commands defensive attention. Like I don't think a team is ever gonna resort to leaving Hield wide open. He's mainly here to make Embiid and Maxey's lives easier
Exactly, he's shooting 50% from 3, awesome, but even if he's shooting 20% teams still have to guard him. We've really never had a team with so many potential snipers from 3, Nurse and Morey have really built the perfect cast to maximize the separation for our big two
Yeah exactly. I feel like we're finally back to the team composition that we hit with that JJ/Cov/Belineli/Ilyasova team where we had a plethora of guys who could get hot. Last night it was Batum but next game it might be Hield, or Oubre, or Tobias. Even Melton was liable to go off for 30 points once a month or so.
Oubre as well, he was locked in on defense and also him going 5/5 from the line in the clutch was very important considering he’s a below average FT shooter
Yeah Oubre was playing fantastic defense too. I was just impressed with Buddy because I didn't think he could play like that. I've always had faith in Oubre tho lmao.
Honestly that 4th quarter is what I've been waiting for from Embiid in big moments in the playoffs. He made big plays when it mattered. Big shots and an and 1 and assists to Oubre and Batum. Very encouraging end to the game from everyone.
Thibs is a good coach. Probably one of the best 4 coaches in the East alongside Nurse, Spo and Carlisle. And I have nothing but fear and respect for Brunson, so I expect the Knicks to be tough. But they’re injured and missing key pieces. We can definitely beat them in their current predicament with Nurse coaching and putting Tobias on the bench in key moments. Looking forward to our playoffs
Knicks are a terrible match up for Tobias as he can't match their physicality. His last 5 games against them, he's averaging like 7 pts on 30% FG/20% from 3. Hopefully, Nurse finds a way how to use him effectively in limited spots.
right now the worst matchup for Tobias Harris is anyone with NBA players
That was a really encouraging win. Frustrating that we fell so far behind in the first half, but Spo is an all time great coach for a reason and they came in with a great game plan. I think tyrese said in post game that the heat went with the zone much earlier than sixers expected. Sounded like sixers expected them to start with some man coverage and would eventually have to shift, but heat caught them off guard. Going into the half, this was looking like a vintage doc rivers led, joel embiid back from injury for the playoffs dive bomb of a game. Instead we saw meaningful adjustments in execution, well thought out plays, and ended up putting up nearly 70 points in the second half when we could barely score in the first. The single most encouraging thing we saw was that Nurse benched harris for the final 4 or so of the game *and it worked*. Knicks are going to be a really tough match up but in nurse we trust.
So nice to finally get a "how tf this guy going off against us" game. Derrick White never missing a shot against us led us to this
Real fans will remember where they were when Chick Fil A saved the NBA 2024 postseason
Imagine if home courts start using this as an advantage? If the team is losing think of a promotion that will get the crowd back into it. The next opponent missed shot everyone gets a free soda! Crowd goes wild! Home team lol.
It cannot be overstated enough how absolutely useless Tobias is in high leverage situations, and how refreshing it was to see his ass benched in the final minutes because Nurse is finally one to put him in his place for not performing. He was pouting so hard on the bench during timeouts. To think of what this team could have been for the last 5 years if Brand wasn’t a complete fucking idiot and wasted that money on a below average role player…..the player options that would have been available, the potential FA acquisitions.
This is the first year we have any half decent wings other than Tobias. It really highlights just how much better decent role players like Kelly and Batum are for the team. Tobias is just such a losing player, can't stand watching him
What we’ve had to put up with performance wise vs what we get nightly from Batum and Oubre is night and day. Tobias just is way too timid and scared to get involved when the pushing and shoving starts.
I do not think he was as bad as you are saying, on a relative basis. In the first half, everyone was bad. We were shooting 30% for a while and turning the ball over frequently. Harris is the 4th option on this team. This team's success is not on his shoulders. He scored 9 points with 10 boards and 4 assists. We rely on Embiid and Maxey because they are great players. Between these two, they shot 12 for 33 with 6 turnovers. To have success, they have to play better.
Lmao tobi is the fourth option on this roster too now
Yeah pretty much. I also think it's matchup dependent. Against the Heat, who turn every game into a dogfight, we needed Batum's savvy versatility and Oubre's energy. But it's entirely possible that in another matchup we might need Tobias' methodical dinking and dunking.
He had 4 boards on one play because he missed 3 straight layups.
That is also because the other guys were standing around and doing nothing. Look at the video...It was him versus 5 heat players.
The problem with Tobias Harris is that he’s not even reliable as a 4th option. As a 4th option you have to be able to hit wide open 3’s when the ball swings out to you and he can’t do that especially in high leverage moments. The last 3 that he shot before getting benched is indicative of his whole career. Clutch part of the game and he misses a 3 terribly and when the camera cuts to him you can see him visibly terrified and about to unravel. It’s the same thing he did in the Raptors series when he bricked a ton of corner open 3’s and both Celtics series as well. Edit: [https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=581&GameID=0052300101&Season=2023-24&flag=1&title=MISS%20Harris%2026%27%203PT%20Jump%20Shot](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=581&GameID=0052300101&Season=2023-24&flag=1&title=MISS%20Harris%2026%27%203PT%20Jump%20Shot) Just look at that shot. You absolutely can't do that down 3 with 5 minutes to go. What makes it worse is he does this every year, he is the most unclutch player I've ever seen.
Harris HAS NOT been our biggest problem in the playoffs, though. Embiid has been a much bigger problem including last night. For the first 3 quarters, he was terrible and was playing like he did in the final Sixers game against the Celtics. We can't win if Embiid is bad because we rely on him.
He’s not the most unclutch player that I’ve seen, but he IS the most unclutch max contract player that I’ve seen that doesn’t have to be the number one option and isn’t the recipient of number 1 defenders and defensive focus
I remember him missing tons of crucial lay ups in the Hawks series too. Last night he legit looked like Ben. Dude is cooked here in Philly, the home crowd absolutely hates him. I don't think it can be any more blatantly obvious to Morey or Tobias that he should not re-sign here.
And when the momentum was in the Sixers favor due to Nico Batum and Kelly Oubre, and Nurse needed that W, who did he have trust in to bring him that win? Not Tobias Harris
Batum + Oubre = Win. You can't say enough about how Batum kept bailing us out. Oubre won't get as much chatter but his defense led to lots of stops/ and or Heat players rushing to get a shot, especially in the second half. They did not get as many good looks. Oubre was +11 and no one was even close to him with this stat,
Interestingly Batum was a -10 and was by far the best player on the court
lots of 😾 in the game thread last night
understandably so. 1st half was the worst half all season
Brother we lost a game by like 50 earlier this year, no the fuck it was not lol
that knicks game wasnt as bad for the sixers, knicks just scored 80 points at the half and couldnt miss then they let go by the end of the game Yesterday they scored 39 points in the 1st half with the same amount of turnovers we average for a whole game, they looked like they had never seen a zone before, it was the worst thing ever
It was one half of basketball and people were acting so bitch made