#2 Knicks vs #7 Sixers

[stormi]

Once again, the “we need three point shooting” crowd every off-season and trade deadline is seeing our team of three point shooting hitting average to below average from the outside. No one gets clean threes in the playoffs unless they suck from outside or are playing against us. We need guys who can get baskets from inside the arc.

We need guys that can get others looks. We need someone that can put the ball on the deck, collapse a defense and then create a shot for someone else. Maxey is a score first guard with developing passing instincts. Embiid is a 7' giant with inconsistent coordination.

We need a guy a non-geriatric hub of offense that ideally can also shoot the three ball and isn't a total defensive liability.

The guy you've been pounding the table for would help us out because he can do things that we're lacking on this roster, but his deficiencies are damn near suicidal in today's age of constructing a modern contender.

If you're referring to DeRozan, I think he worked in a vacuum of this year. If his contract is going to be 40 per, then it's a stupid investment. But his ability to get baskets, particularly in crunchtime, would make us a top 3 team in this playoffs, imo. Replacing him with Tobi and starting Batum at the 4 would be the most deadly lineup.

But I think this would limit our options this offseason if someone like Doncic or Zion want out and would consider us since we would have had to part with assets to get him, so I get it.

Before we existed, Demar was the embodiment of a Playoff Dropper. He's miles better than a layman like Tobias and ironically in a vacuum fits seamlessly alongside a healthy Embiid tilting the floor with his defense and Maxey's Steph-lite impression but he'll be 35 in August.

We have five(?) tradeable firsts, a max slot this summer and essentially punted '23-'24 because of Morey subterfuge. He needs to aim a bracket or two higher.

[EmbiidRocks]

This series has made me realize why Thibs likes to play his guys heavy minutes.

When comparing our team to the Knicks, we're more talented, but we lag behind in the effort department. And I've figured out why.

We can match the Knicks' effort, but we lack one crucial thing: endurance. A prime example is Embiid's rebounding. He had 7 rebounds in the first quarter but ended up with just 10 rebounds overall. He was exhausted in the last few minutes of the game, leading to a silly turnover and slow reaction time, which resulted in not boxing out Hartenstein.

So, most of our guys lack that endurance, except maybe for Maxey. However, most of these Knicks players thrive on it. Mitchell was supposed to miss the entire season, yet here he is. Most of their guys give their all every second they're on the court.

To be fair, I think that was our adjustment in Game 2. Lowry rebounded better, Tobi played great defense down the stretch, Maxey had an extra gear, and Oubre made it his mission to shut down Brunson.

But on that last possession, I felt that Maxey simply lacked the mental endurance to call the timeout when he fell to the floor. Although Embiid was tired, his mental processing was too slow, and he was caught watching Maxey while Hartenstein crashed for the offensive rebound.

We lag behind in the effort department because the face of the franchise is a guy who's regularly emotionally flat on the court. Whereas other teams have stars who are inspirational in their demeanor, functioning as a "rising tide that lifts all boats" for their teams, this one on the other hand has one who functions in the opposite manner for his team, as a ball and chain in that department. Embiid has been more animated and inspirational sitting on the bench injured in the past than he has been in these two games. That doesn't compute. If you're out there fighting to win, where is your spirit?

PJ Tucker had to get in his face during the playoffs for this reason. Where is the improvement? He should be getting in his teammates' faces -- as Tucker did with him -- and functioning to lift and inspire them emotionally. Instead he's the guy who needs the inspiration and lift from other people. When that's the fulcrum of your team it's going to teeter in the wrong direction unfortunately, and you're going to have rebounds, games, and ultimately your soul stolen from you by teams like the Knicks.

I have to agree, Embiid's effort just sucks in 4th quarters especially, probably because of his stamina? but it's just a bad look.

[Ferry Avenue]

This series has made me realize why Thibs likes to play his guys heavy minutes.

When comparing our team to the Knicks, we're more talented, but we lag behind in the effort department. And I've figured out why.

We can match the Knicks' effort, but we lack one crucial thing: endurance. A prime example is Embiid's rebounding. He had 7 rebounds in the first quarter but ended up with just 10 rebounds overall. He was exhausted in the last few minutes of the game, leading to a silly turnover and slow reaction time, which resulted in not boxing out Hartenstein.

So, most of our guys lack that endurance, except maybe for Maxey. However, most of these Knicks players thrive on it. Mitchell was supposed to miss the entire season, yet here he is. Most of their guys give their all every second they're on the court.

To be fair, I think that was our adjustment in Game 2. Lowry rebounded better, Tobi played great defense down the stretch, Maxey had an extra gear, and Oubre made it his mission to shut down Brunson.

But on that last possession, I felt that Maxey simply lacked the mental endurance to call the timeout when he fell to the floor. Although Embiid was tired, his mental processing was too slow, and he was caught watching Maxey while Hartenstein crashed for the offensive rebound.

We lag behind in the effort department because the face of the franchise is a guy who's regularly emotionally flat on the court. Whereas other teams have stars who are inspirational in their demeanor, functioning as a "rising tide that lifts all boats" for their teams, this one on the other hand has one who functions in the opposite manner for his team, as a ball and chain in that department. Embiid has been more animated and inspirational sitting on the bench injured in the past than he has been in these two games. That doesn't compute. If you're out there fighting to win, where is your spirit?

PJ Tucker had to get in his face during the playoffs for this reason. Where is the improvement? He should be getting in his teammates' faces -- as Tucker did with him -- and functioning to lift and inspire them emotionally. Instead he's the guy who needs the inspiration and lift from other people. When that's the fulcrum of your team it's going to teeter in the wrong direction unfortunately, and you're going to have rebounds, games, and ultimately your soul stolen from you by teams like the Knicks.

I have to agree, Embiid's effort just sucks in 4th quarters especially, probably because of his stamina? but it's just a bad look.

It's less about effort and more about what he's demonstrating emotionally. Take a look at this play for example:

Watch on YouTube

It's not just the effort and the skill exhibited there, but the emotional expression afterward that's inspirational, because it tells his teammates his performance was motivated by a strong will to win. That's galvanizing for them and again functions as a "rising tide that lifts all boats." Now perhaps you have an entire team that's become hyped and motivated, which may extract more from them physically than they would've exhibited otherwise. In essence this is called "leadership," and it functions in team sports largely via emotional contagion.

Embiid not only doesn't exhibit that, he exhibits the opposite of it -- emotional flatness. There is emotional contagion surrounding emotional flatness as well, but it functions in the opposite direction -- as an emotional ball and chain on the team, which gets less out of the team physically than it otherwise might've exhibited.

[phillynative]

This series has made me realize why Thibs likes to play his guys heavy minutes.

When comparing our team to the Knicks, we're more talented, but we lag behind in the effort department. And I've figured out why.

We can match the Knicks' effort, but we lack one crucial thing: endurance. A prime example is Embiid's rebounding. He had 7 rebounds in the first quarter but ended up with just 10 rebounds overall. He was exhausted in the last few minutes of the game, leading to a silly turnover and slow reaction time, which resulted in not boxing out Hartenstein.

So, most of our guys lack that endurance, except maybe for Maxey. However, most of these Knicks players thrive on it. Mitchell was supposed to miss the entire season, yet here he is. Most of their guys give their all every second they're on the court.

To be fair, I think that was our adjustment in Game 2. Lowry rebounded better, Tobi played great defense down the stretch, Maxey had an extra gear, and Oubre made it his mission to shut down Brunson.

But on that last possession, I felt that Maxey simply lacked the mental endurance to call the timeout when he fell to the floor. Although Embiid was tired, his mental processing was too slow, and he was caught watching Maxey while Hartenstein crashed for the offensive rebound.

I want you to look again at that play again. Embiid is not to blame imo as much as anyone else on the floor. Not only did Lowry mess up forcing the ball to Maxey and Maxey not being strong with the ball , but if you look at the play again. Tobias and Batum basically hid from the ball while Lowry struggled to get the ball in to Maxey with two players on them. Both Batum and Tobias are solid free throw shooters. One of them could of just ran up to get the ball when the saw Maxey struggling. When Maxey lost the ball not only did Batum not block out anyone but he was also slow to get out on DaVinci. Very disappointing play from the elders(Batum,Lowry).As much as Embiid has been bad rebounding the ball he atleast boxed out their best rebounder in Brunson. It was up to Tobi and Batum to find a body and put it on them. They Hartenstein roam and do what he does best.

I'm honestly over the small PF/SF that can hit a 3 every now and again role too. We need a big stretch 4 that can rebound and hit open 3s.

[76ciology]

0-2

Why the Knicks can win:
- The Knicks have the formula to beat a more talented team by playing harder, being more physical, and gaining extra possessions.
- The Knicks' style of play is favored due to the referees allowing a lot of physicality.
- Embiid is only shooting 39% from the field and has a true shooting percentage (TS%) of 51%.
- The Sixers' health is unpredictable, with injuries one game and illnesses the next.
- The Knicks just need to win 2 out of the next 5 games.

Why the Sixers can win:
- Don't focus solely on the win-loss record; consider the stats. It's a classic matchup of a more talented squad versus a less talented one, where the more talented team tends to win more often.
- Jalen Brunson is shooting 29% from the field and 16% from three-point range.
- The Knicks are essentially led by Josh Hart, averaging 21 points per game, 14 rebounds per game, and shooting 53% from three-point range on average.
- The Sixers have shown they can compete in the possession battle, getting just 2 fewer rebounds in Game 2 and reducing turnovers to just 10, in addition to shooting better in the last two games.

My take:
If this series goes to 9 or 11 games, I'll be more confident. But for now, I'd say the chances of winning are around 40% to 50% at best because we're down by 2 games and need to win 4 out of the next 5 games.

The bright side is, if we defeat the Knicks, we'll be better prepared for the next round, having faced a team that excels on rebounding while we have an immobile center lacking in verticality.

[76ciology]

Spoiler:

This series has made me realize why Thibs likes to play his guys heavy minutes.

When comparing our team to the Knicks, we're more talented, but we lag behind in the effort department. And I've figured out why.

We can match the Knicks' effort, but we lack one crucial thing: endurance. A prime example is Embiid's rebounding. He had 7 rebounds in the first quarter but ended up with just 10 rebounds overall. He was exhausted in the last few minutes of the game, leading to a silly turnover and slow reaction time, which resulted in not boxing out Hartenstein.

So, most of our guys lack that endurance, except maybe for Maxey. However, most of these Knicks players thrive on it. Mitchell was supposed to miss the entire season, yet here he is. Most of their guys give their all every second they're on the court.

To be fair, I think that was our adjustment in Game 2. Lowry rebounded better, Tobi played great defense down the stretch, Maxey had an extra gear, and Oubre made it his mission to shut down Brunson.

But on that last possession, I felt that Maxey simply lacked the mental endurance to call the timeout when he fell to the floor. Although Embiid was tired, his mental processing was too slow, and he was caught watching Maxey while Hartenstein crashed for the offensive rebound.

I want you to look again at that play again. Embiid is not to blame imo as much as anyone else on the floor. Not only did Lowry mess up forcing the ball to Maxey and Maxey not being strong with the ball , but if you look at the play again. Tobias and Batum basically hid from the ball while Lowry struggled to get the ball in to Maxey with two players on them. Both Batum and Tobias are solid free throw shooters. One of them could of just ran up to get the ball when the saw Maxey struggling. When Maxey lost the ball not only did Batum not block out anyone but he was also slow to get out on DaVinci. Very disappointing play from the elders(Batum,Lowry).As much as Embiid has been bad rebounding the ball he atleast boxed out their best rebounder in Brunson. It was up to Tobi and Batum to find a body and put it on them. They Hartenstein roam and do what he does best.

I'm honestly over the small PF/SF that can hit a 3 every now and again role too. We need a big stretch 4 that can rebound and hit open 3s.

I'm a strong advocate for playing with a bigger power forward (PF). I'll reiterate this point: Tobias Harris was signed with the best-case scenario of Ben Simmons in mind. However, when Ben left, it seems we overlooked this fact.

I believe the third player should be a PF because they can effectively play the two-man game with Maxey. Consider what's happening with Hield; Maxey and Hield don't complement each other well. That case would remain the same with a 1,2,3 or a tweener PF. Maxey needs to run plays with a PF where Maxey can shoot when the defense drops and drive to the basket if the defense switches.

A PF can also significantly aid Embiid in rebounding and rim protection. Currently, we're using a 7'2" Dirk Nowitzki at center. While Dirk can handle this role in short stretches, he doesn't have the endurance to sustain it for an entire game or season.

Would this issue be resolved by having Paul Reed? My answer is no because the defense doesn't respect Reed enough for Maxey and Reed to execute the two-man game effectively. This is the main reason why our offense struggles during non-Embiid minutes.

[76ciology]

“An NBA team can file a formal protest about the outcome of a game if they believe there was an incorrect ruling or misapplication of the rules that directly impacted the result. Here are the key points about filing a formal protest in the NBA:

- It costs $10,000 to file a protest, which is refunded if the protest is successful [3].

- The team has 48 hours after the game to file the protest with the league office, stating the grounds for the protest [1].

- The team must provide evidence within 5 days that the protested action did occur [3].

- The NBA commissioner (currently Adam Silver) then has 5 days after receiving the evidence to make a decision on the protest [1][3].

- If the protest is upheld, the game is replayed from the point of the incorrect call/ruling, with the initial result no longer counting [3].

However, formal protests rarely succeed in the NBA. There have been only 6 successful protests out of 44 known cases in league history [3]. The league sets a very high bar, distinguishing between human error in judgment calls versus clear misapplication of the rules [1]. Protests are seen as a last resort when teams believe an incorrect ruling directly determined the outcome after all other avenues like coach's challenges were exhausted [1][2].

So in summary, filing a formal protest allows a team to contest the result of a game due to an officiating mistake, but the evidence must clearly show a misapplication of the rules, and the $10,000 fee is only refunded if the rare successful protest overturns the original outcome [1][3].”

This would be wild.

Its more likely that we’d get two games with favorable calls at home instead.

[ivysixer2000]

So they NBA acknowledges they missed 4 calls in the last 120 seconds of that game.

Now what?!?!? Nothing, this situation has really made me sick of the NBA and I haven't watched a game since. All you have to do is act like a manic and be in New York to win I guess. Then all the talking heads are giving them props, its **** pathetic as they don't deserve **** for that exhibition on how to cheat in the NBA.

[76ciology]

Josh Hart played all 48 minutes last night and traveled exactly 18,000 total feet. Average speed of 4 MPH.

[phillynative]

Josh Hart played all 48 minutes last night and traveled exactly 18,000 total feet. Average speed of 4 MPH.

Someone should have knocked him on his a** a few time already. He has been giving too much freedom to roam all over the place and cause chaos. Right now we are lacking in physicality, size and athleticism in our lineups and Hart is just feasting off that.
I know of two players that wouldn't allow him to climb up their back, they were traded away at the deadline.

Hart has basically outplayed our 3-8

[the_process]

Josh Hart played all 48 minutes last night and traveled exactly 18,000 total feet. Average speed of 4 MPH.

Someone should have knocked him on his a** a few time already. He has been giving too much freedom to roam all over the place and cause chaos. Right now we are lacking in physicality, size and athleticism in our lineups and Hart is just feasting off that.
I know of two players that wouldn't allow him to climb up their back, they were traded away at the deadline.

Hart has basically outplayed our 3-8

Morris and Beverley would've helped in this series. Then they would be unplayable against anyone else.

[76ciology]

Jalen Brunson averaged 19.5 half-court drives per game with a 51.6 FG% on drives this season.

Through two playoff games, he’s averaging 24.5 drives & shooting 16.0 FG% on drives.

Watch on YouTube

[GoSixersBro]

“An NBA team can file a formal protest about the outcome of a game if they believe there was an incorrect ruling or misapplication of the rules that directly impacted the result. Here are the key points about filing a formal protest in the NBA:

- It costs $10,000 to file a protest, which is refunded if the protest is successful [3].

- The team has 48 hours after the game to file the protest with the league office, stating the grounds for the protest [1].

- The team must provide evidence within 5 days that the protested action did occur [3].

- The NBA commissioner (currently Adam Silver) then has 5 days after receiving the evidence to make a decision on the protest [1][3].

- If the protest is upheld, the game is replayed from the point of the incorrect call/ruling, with the initial result no longer counting [3].

However, formal protests rarely succeed in the NBA. There have been only 6 successful protests out of 44 known cases in league history [3]. The league sets a very high bar, distinguishing between human error in judgment calls versus clear misapplication of the rules [1]. Protests are seen as a last resort when teams believe an incorrect ruling directly determined the outcome after all other avenues like coach's challenges were exhausted [1][2].

So in summary, filing a formal protest allows a team to contest the result of a game due to an officiating mistake, but the evidence must clearly show a misapplication of the rules, and the $10,000 fee is only refunded if the rare successful protest overturns the original outcome [1][3].”

This would be wild.

Its more likely that we’d get two games with favorable calls at home instead.

If y'all are sports bettors I personally love us getting copious amounts of home cooking for Game 3. This is gonna be an Embiid airplane game, I can feel it.

[EmbiidRocks]

Seems weird hearing this narrative about "we are the better team". We were also the better team against Atlanta Hawks in 2021, against Miami Heat in 2022, etc.

There are many factors at play in playoffs matches, effort and mentality are of huge importance. I feel like we rarely match other playoff teams in that department, instead I feel we always go with the "we will win because our players are more talented" mentality.
We've had so many heartbreaking losses in the process era to know that is not enough.

Displaying proper emotions on the court and having huge mentality is something we have lacked for many years, I think it's time we do something about it. Maxey is the player closer to the ideal in that department.

[Ferry Avenue]

Seems weird hearing this narrative about "we are the better team". We were also the better team against Atlanta Hawks in 2021, against Miami Heat in 2022, etc.

There are many factors at play in playoffs matches, effort and mentality are of huge importance. I feel like we rarely match other playoff teams in that department, instead I feel we always go with the "we will win because our players are more talented" mentality.
We've had so many heartbreaking losses in the process era to know that is not enough.

Displaying proper emotions on the court and having huge mentality is something we have lacked for many years, I think it's time we do something about it. Maxey is the player closer to the ideal in that department.

Physically inferior teams beat physically superior teams all the time in professional sports. Otherwise the concept of the upset wouldn't exist.

The expression of physical effort and skill varies primarily as a function of emotional state. Otherwise the scoring "runs" we see all the time in the NBA wouldn't exist. Certainly those runs aren't evidence of either team's suddenly becoming physically better or worse than it was in comparison to the other team just a few minutes prior.

What it's evidence of rather, of course, is variation in emotional intensity, and likely for both teams. This is of course why coaches very often call time-outs in those instances -- to "reboot" their teams emotionally and also to pump the brakes on the opposing team's emotional momentum. There are also of course strategic physical things addressed during such time-outs, but the reason those time-outs are taken WHEN they are is primarily emotional in nature.

[phillynative]

Josh Hart played all 48 minutes last night and traveled exactly 18,000 total feet. Average speed of 4 MPH.

Someone should have knocked him on his a** a few time already. He has been giving too much freedom to roam all over the place and cause chaos. Right now we are lacking in physicality, size and athleticism in our lineups and Hart is just feasting off that.
I know of two players that wouldn't allow him to climb up their back, they were traded away at the deadline.

Hart has basically outplayed our 3-8

Morris and Beverley helped in this series. Then they would be unplayable against anyone else.

I'm not saying we should of kept them just lacking those physical no-nonsense players. That's is all...

[elchengue20]

Seems weird hearing this narrative about "we are the better team". We were also the better team against Atlanta Hawks in 2021, against Miami Heat in 2022, etc.

There are many factors at play in playoffs matches, effort and mentality are of huge importance. I feel like we rarely match other playoff teams in that department, instead I feel we always go with the "we will win because our players are more talented" mentality.
We've had so many heartbreaking losses in the process era to know that is not enough.

Displaying proper emotions on the court and having huge mentality is something we have lacked for many years, I think it's time we do something about it. Maxey is the player closer to the ideal in that department.

That's what happens when you have a very talented but mentally weak franchise player. It is something that affects the entire team.

At this point it's no coincidence.

[Snotbubbles]

I'm not worried in the least bit. Sixers are going to win the next 4. The bad calls by the refs will even out and the Sixers talent will overcome.

[EmbiidRocks]

Brunson is due to a great game, though. Is there anyone else on our team you trust to step up? I talked about Hield, but that seems unlikely as it stands now. Another great game from Batum? Oubre? he could get hot but I don't know. Harris? he always disappoints unfortunately.

We have some players that have the right emotions like Maxey and Oubre, but the later just doesn't have it offensively, it may be just a matter of getting hot for just a game or two, which I could see.

It's just a gigantic dropoff after our two best players.

[Ferry Avenue]

Seems weird hearing this narrative about "we are the better team". We were also the better team against Atlanta Hawks in 2021, against Miami Heat in 2022, etc.

There are many factors at play in playoffs matches, effort and mentality are of huge importance. I feel like we rarely match other playoff teams in that department, instead I feel we always go with the "we will win because our players are more talented" mentality.
We've had so many heartbreaking losses in the process era to know that is not enough.

Displaying proper emotions on the court and having huge mentality is something we have lacked for many years, I think it's time we do something about it. Maxey is the player closer to the ideal in that department.

That's what happens when you have a very talented but mentally weak franchise player. It is something that affects the entire team.

At this point it's no coincidence.

Correct. If he were a peripheral player it would matter little. But as the central player it matters a great deal.