“Where do we go from here?”. That’s the question many of us have after the Sixers lost game 7 at home to the Hawks. The home team lost 103-96 to a Hawks team who was truly an inferior opponent. After game 1, we thought things would return to normal. The Sixers won game 2 and 3 in convincing fashion and lead game 4 by 18 points in the 4^th quarter. Then the series flipped on its head. The Sixers blew a 4^th quarter lead and lost game 4. Instead of going back to Philly up 3-1, they were going back for game 5 with the series tied 2-2. Game 5 turned out to be even worse with the Sixers blowing a 26-point lead to lose game 5 and being down 3-2 in the series. The series shifted to Atlanta for game 6 and the Sixers showed some heart and won on the road to tie the series. The Sixers returned to Philadelphia for game 7 and boy did they disappoint. After leading in the first quarter, it appeared like the Sixers couldn’t get over the hump. It seemed like the Hawks just wanted it more. There are a bunch of reasons why the 76ers are now sitting at home with us instead of preparing for the Eastern Conference Finals but here are the ones that stood out.

• BEN SIMMONS. Simmons had a very good regular season. He was named to his 3^rd straight All-Star team and was arguably the Defensive Player of the Year. Once the playoffs started, his play plummeted. In the Wizards series, his deficiencies weren’t on display as much, but his free throw shooting was an issue. They went to the hack-a-Ben strategy, and it worked. Once we got into the Hawks series, it just seemed like his offensive confidence was the lowest it has ever been. Originally, we thought that his focus was primarily on the defensive end, but he didn’t show up on offense. He had 17 points in game 1, 18 points in game 3, and 11 in game 4. The other games were pretty underwhelming offensively, and his free throws were a mess. After game 3, Ben Simmons wasn’t aggressive in the second half at all and didn’t take any shots in the fourth quarter. The most egregious offense of them all came late in game 7 when Simmons passed up an open dunk for a pass to Matisse Thybulle. Embiid’s reaction and postgame comment says it all. That was the turning point in Game 7 and maybe in his career as a Sixer.
• DOC RIVERS. Doc Rivers was very good in the regular season for the most part except the all-bench lineups. He helped lead this team to the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but he was bad during the Hawks series. He went into the series with no real game plan and that allowed the Hawks to steal one. He made one adjustment putting Ben Simmons on Trae Young but that was about it. He still went with all bench lineups when he shouldn’t have. They have blown leads because he put in lineups with no scoring potential including lineups with Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, and Dwight Howard.  If Simmons is the number one reason the 76ers didn’t reach the conference finals, Doc Rivers is 1B. He must do better.
• JOEL EMBIID- Embiid’s turnovers were high this series. When passing out of double teams, it seemed like he regressed to the Joel we saw in previous years. He had 8 turnovers in game 6 and game 7. That is inexcusable. He also had a late turnover in game 7 that seemed to put the game out of reach in the end. He was playing on a torn meniscus and while we appreciate that, he has to play better from a turnover standpoint.

Some Positive Tibits from the Hawks Series:

• Seth Curry stepped up big time this series. The Sixers ran the offense through him and Embiid the final three games of the series. Seth proved he could create his own shot, handle the ball, and find the big man in pick and pop situations. Seth still has two years remaining on a very team friendly contract. I think Seth will continue to improve offensively but he should also put in some work defensively as well.
• Tyrese Maxey saved the Sixers in game 6. With Ben in foul trouble, the rookie came in with a free spirit and helped lift the Sixers to a victory. Maxey has the potential to be our starting point guard of the future. We will see if his future is here in Philadelphia or somewhere else via a trade.
• When Joel Embiid was engaged, he was pretty awesome this series. He showed he could dominate on both ends of the floor. It’s a shame that it feels like we wasted a MVP-caliber year from the big fella.

Now let’s get to the obvious part, should the Sixers trade Ben Simmons? I was a big Ben Simmons fan and what many may call a Ben Simmons apologist. I saw the potential in Simmons and all the things he did on the court. After this series, I’m not sure how much longer I or the fans of Philadelphia can be patient with Ben Simmons. Here are some realistic trades I could see the Sixers making:

This would be a dream come true for the Sixers. Getting Dame Lillard would compliment Joel Embiid very well and you would also be getting a good defender and shooter back in Robert Covington. Listen if you have a chance to get Dame, you must do whatever it takes to get it done. You missed out on an opportunity with Harden and you can’t miss on this.

This may seem like a more realistic trade to some as CJ McCollum is more attainable. CJ McCollum would add the ball handling and shooting this team desperately needs but a back court of McCollum and Curry wouldn’t be the best defensively. Ben Simmons would bring much needed defense and secondary playmaking for Portland.

This trade is intriguing with some young talent coming back to the Sixers. Former Spur Bruce Bowen has been quoted as saying that the Spurs and coach Popovich would do anything to get their hands on Simmons. Murray would bring defense and playmaking to the Sixers but isn’t the greatest shooter. Vassell and Walker IV would bring athleticism and shooting to the squad. If you are trying to maximize Joel’s window, this may not be the trade the front office wants to make.

Bradley Beal would have to request a trade, but the Sixers have a very good package to offer the Wiz if he does. Trading Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, and a boat load of picks should be able to get the deal done. The Wiz may even ask for Tyrese Maxey as well but if you aren’t giving up Maxey and Thybulle for Lillard then you won’t give up that much for Beal. Beal would bring the type of scoring that would allow things to open up for Embiid and Harris.

Zach Lavine would be a great scoring upgrade for the Sixers. In order for this trade to develop, Zach would have to confirm he isn’t resigning. Lavine isn’t known to be a playmaker, but he has improved his playmaking every year. With the talent that would be surrounding him on the Sixers, he would absolutely be a great fit with Embiid.

We shall see what happens this offseason with the Sixers and Ben Simmons. Ultimately, I think Daryl Morey and Elton Brand will make the right decision regarding Simmons’ value. A move is coming, and they can’t waste Joel’s prime any longer.

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Washington Wizards 129-112 on Wednesday night to move on to the second round of the playoffs. The 76ers battled Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook without Joel Embiid, who was out with a small meniscus tear in his right knee. The theme leading up to the game was whether the team could win a playoff game without the big fella and who would start in his absence. Coach Doc Rivers decided to start Matisse Thybulle and bump Ben Simmons to the “center” position. Throughout the first half, Doc tried many combinations that would help the Sixers remain steady on offense and defense. He played 11 players in the first half but there seemed to be one player who help keep this team afloat with his energy and fearlessness. That player was Tyrese Maxey.

Seth Curry and Tobias Harris led the scoring in the second half while Ben Simmons lead the way defensively. The team turned up the defense in the middle of the third and eventually pulled away from the Wizards. This was an all-around great team win for a team playing without its MVP candidate in a closeout situation. There were great performances from Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, Ben Simmons, Tyrese Maxey, Dwight Howard, and Furkan Korkmaz. Below are some observations from the entire series:

• Joel Embiid should never play a game in Washington again! The injury he suffered earlier in the year that caused him to miss about 2 and a half weeks occurred in Washington. Now, he has suffered another injury in Washington. If he does decide to play in DC again, he needs to take a page out of Kyrie Irving’s book and sage the court before play.
• Ben Simmons played relatively well this series, but the free throws have been a problem. He started out the series 0-10 but was 5-8 in game 5. Other teams may try the hack-a-Ben strategy and he has to be prepared. If he’s not going to shoot jumpers, he has to be AT LEAST 60 percent from the free throw line.
• Bradley Beal is an offensive monster and the Sixers’ defenders did as well they could. Ben Simmons definitely made every bucket by Beal tough. It would be interesting to see Bradley Beal on a contending team.
• Russell Westbrook is going to go down as one of the greatest point guards in history, but boy was he bad this series. His triple doubles seem like they don’t even affect the game and its results. I’m not sure Russ will even be in Washington next year. We will have to wait and see if the Wizards go into full rebuild mode.
• Shake Milton was TERRIBLE this series! His play gave way to Tyrese Maxey who seemed to have jumped him in the rotation. I think Doc will give Shake an opportunity this series against the Hawks. Shake has played well against the Hawks in the past. He scored double digits against the Hawks in both the games he played this season. I expect Doc to have Shake on a short leash.
• Please staple Mike Scott to the bench! Man listen, I’m a fan of Mike Scott in the past but now he just seems unplayable.
• Joel Embiid played so well before he got injured and it didn’t even seem like he was trying. We are going to need the big fella to try fight through the knee injury if he can. I’m not a doctor so I don’t know how bad it is but there seems to be some optimism around it.

Preview of Sixers v. Hawks

The Sixers tip-off against the Atlanta Hawks this Sunday afternoon. We still don’t know if Joel Embiid will be available for game 1 and if he will be available for any games in this series at all. What we do know is there are a lot of national pundits who are counting the Sixers out. The team went 11-11 without Embiid this year including the playoffs. They have to play differently without him in the lineup with Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons stepping their games up. The Hawks are a good offensive team and could give the Sixers problems if they have to outscore them. Here are some things I will be looking for during this second round series:

• Who and how will the Sixer guard Trae Young? He “torched” the New York Knicks in the first round. When you look at the numbers, he wasn’t too efficient. He does have a knack of drawling fouls, which will help him get to his scoring average. The Sixers have a few defenders they could throw at Young including Matisse Thybulle, Danny Green, Ben Simmons, and George Hill. Defending the pick and roll will be key. Will they play drop coverage giving Trae an open three or will they play up to discourage the three but be susceptible to lobs?
• If Joel Embiid doesn’t play, who will start in his place? I think Matisse will start in his place with the task of guarding Trae Young.
• How Will Doc game plan to get Tobias Harris easy shots? I think they will most likely run double pick and rolls, horns sets, and switch hunt to get him on a small defender.
• This team has to target Trae Young on offense! He can’t sit in the corner or someone. He has to be in actions so he has to work on the defensive end.
• I think the X-factors for this series for the Sixers will be Seth Curry and Dwight Howard. If Embiid can’t play, Howard is the only other traditional center on the team and he will be needed for rim protection and rebounds. For the Hawks the x-factors will be Deandre Hunter and how well he can defend Ben Simmons or Tobias Harris. Another x-factor will be Bogdan Bogdanovic and whether he will be able to contribute with shooting and scoring consistently.
• Prediction: The Hawks will be a tough test defensively for this team, but they have the number 1 seed for a reason. They also have learned to play without Joel Embiid if he can’t play in a few games this series. If Joel Embiid plays the entire series, I think the 76ers win 5 games. Without Embiid I think the 76ers win a hard fought 7 game series.