R2G3 - 76ers vs Celtics - May 5 7:30pm ET ESPN

[DCasey91]

I’m looking at these types of players next year:

Hart
Crowder
Olynyk
Barnes
Roco
Batum

Need more assurance at the 3/4 spot. Keep Reed, Melton and if Niang is on the cheap him too. Rest should be on the table imo

We must work on both the backcourt and front court issues next season. Would love Hart or Roco to play the Tucker/Green role. One is a monster rebounder and we all know Roco has zero conscious to shoot and is a good rebounder in his own right.

[Embiid P]

I’m looking at these types of players next year:

Hart
Crowder
Olynyk
Barnes
Roco
Batum

Need more assurance at the 3/4 spot. Keep Reed, Melton and if Niang is on the cheap him too. Rest should be on the table imo

We must work on both the backcourt and front court issues next season. Would love Hart or Roco to play the Tucker/Green role. One is a monster rebounder and we all know Roco has zero conscious to shoot and is a good rebounder in his own right.

Agreed on all except Niang. He's a complete liability vs. the Celtics and thus should be free to walk. Acquire a couple of starting caliber 3 and D wings for Harris and move Tucker to the bench in Niang's spot.

Trade Korkmaz and Harrell's (assuming he opts in for next season) expirings for a big defensive back-up PG to play alongside Maxey. Caruso would be my main target if possible.

[DCasey91]

I’m looking at these types of players next year:

Hart
Crowder
Olynyk
Barnes
Roco
Batum

Need more assurance at the 3/4 spot. Keep Reed, Melton and if Niang is on the cheap him too. Rest should be on the table imo

We must work on both the backcourt and front court issues next season. Would love Hart or Roco to play the Tucker/Green role. One is a monster rebounder and we all know Roco has zero conscious to shoot and is a good rebounder in his own right.

Agreed on all except Niang. He's a complete liability vs. the Celtics and thus should be free to walk. Acquire a couple of starting caliber 3 and D wings for Harris and move Tucker to the bench in Niang's spot.

Trade Korkmaz and Harrell's (assuming he opts in for next season) expirings for a big defensive back-up PG to play alongside Maxey. Caruso would be my main target if possible.

Yep I’m hoping we get decent pieces from finally moving on from Harris’s albatross.

So much dead money Tucker/House and Harrell have player options, Korkmaz expiring.

I mean you are better off signing min contracts on ball players that can still play and there’s a few around.

When over 60 mil of your cap goes to these guys it’s makes it nigh on impossible to build a proper list.

[Jay555]

Did you see how AD played the Warriors?

Again this is not a knock on Embiid because Him and AD are completely different style.

In order to beat small ball, your center needs to rebound/block shots/roll to the basket. Basically Winning that rebounding war is crucial. Embiid at the elbow basically means our undersized guards/forwards are required to rebound which leads to transition 3’s that Celtics are good at and was what’s killed us past two games. It should be a guards initiated offence with Embiid used as a rebounding / defensive big. Guy needs to get down low and work hard down there. Fade away is not working… perhaps we can look at a 4 that can complement embiid over the summer. Paul reed with a jumper would be an answer.

Anyhow, Embiid at the elbow works well against most teams except small ball (Celtics & Warriors) unless he gets 45-50 per game which is a tall order.


Be interested to see if there are any adjustments tomorrow. Guess not?

[rocketsfan100]

Harden needs to be embarrassed with that game. As a fan of his even I was ashamed of his passive presence on the floor.


At this point if he dosent bounce back this afternoon it will go down as one of the monumental mental breakdowns. I’m hoping he ends his Sixers tenure with a more positive nature before he returns to Houston for next season.

[Jay555]

Harden needs to be embarrassed with that game. As a fan of his even I was ashamed of his passive presence on the floor.


At this point if he dosent bounce back this afternoon it will go down as one of the monumental mental breakdowns. I’m hoping he ends his Sixers tenure with a more positive nature before he returns to Houston for next season.

Is not that familiar tho? Same **** over and over again. Dude needs to see a psychiatrist. I have suggested this on the rockets forum like 7-8 years ago. Dirk saw one too which helped him tremendously. Harden’s like when he is shook, he’s like a ghost on the court. I wish PJ slaps him and tells him to wake the **** up and gets the **** over it. Just a **** block by Jalen. Man up and just play.


The good news is he can’t be worse than this, can he? Hopefully, he’s got his worst moments off his system and now he can put his head down and focus..

[Jhawk03]

Harden needs to be embarrassed with that game. As a fan of his even I was ashamed of his passive presence on the floor.


At this point if he dosent bounce back this afternoon it will go down as one of the monumental mental breakdowns. I’m hoping he ends his Sixers tenure with a more positive nature before he returns to Houston for next season.

Social media has been spamming a Harden to Ben Simmons comparison into existence. Just because they were swapped for in a trade shouldn't make it so.

What I mean is, if Harden doesn't "bounce back" then it's the equivalent to Ben saying "I am who I am, it is what it is" because the concensus opinion of James Harden in the playoffs is brutal... he chokes when it matters, doesn't show up, etc. Asking Harden to suddenly become Jimmy Butler in the playoffs is the same as asking Ben to develop a jumpshot. If Harden folds from here on then technically it won't matter because it is what it is. Ben still doesn't have a jumper, and Harden still chokes in the playoffs so it is what it is. If Harden goes back to Houston then the Nets trade will be the biggest yet most meaningless trade possibly ever.

[Embiid P]

Did you see how AD played the Warriors?

Again this is not a knock on Embiid because Him and AD are completely different style.

In order to beat small ball, your center needs to rebound/block shots/roll to the basket. Basically Winning that rebounding war is crucial. Embiid at the elbow basically means our undersized guards/forwards are required to rebound which leads to transition 3’s that Celtics are good at and was what’s killed us past two games. It should be a guards initiated offence with Embiid used as a rebounding / defensive big. Guy needs to get down low and work hard down there. Fade away is not working… perhaps we can look at a 4 that can complement embiid over the summer. Paul reed with a jumper would be an answer.

Anyhow, Embiid at the elbow works well against most teams except small ball (Celtics & Warriors) unless he gets 45-50 per game which is a tall order.


Be interested to see if there are any adjustments tomorrow. Guess not?

I keep saying that Embiid should focus less on carrying the scoring load and more on anchoring the defense and rebounding. Now that he's finally won his MVP he should try to win DPOY as he stated he wants to do no?

[Ferry Avenue]

Did you see how AD played the Warriors?

Again this is not a knock on Embiid because Him and AD are completely different style.

In order to beat small ball, your center needs to rebound/block shots/roll to the basket. Basically Winning that rebounding war is crucial. Embiid at the elbow basically means our undersized guards/forwards are required to rebound which leads to transition 3’s that Celtics are good at and was what’s killed us past two games. It should be a guards initiated offence with Embiid used as a rebounding / defensive big. Guy needs to get down low and work hard down there. Fade away is not working… perhaps we can look at a 4 that can complement embiid over the summer. Paul reed with a jumper would be an answer.

Anyhow, Embiid at the elbow works well against most teams except small ball (Celtics & Warriors) unless he gets 45-50 per game which is a tall order.


Be interested to see if there are any adjustments tomorrow. Guess not?

I keep saying that Embiid should focus less on carrying the scoring load and more on anchoring the defense and rebounding. Now that he's finally won his MVP he should try to win DPOY as he stated he wants to do no?

The problem with that is that the other scorers on the team are prone to too wide of variation in their production. If Embiid focuses less on scoring and Harden and Maxey lay their customary eggs offensively, the team gets blown away.

[Embiid P]

Did you see how AD played the Warriors?

Again this is not a knock on Embiid because Him and AD are completely different style.

In order to beat small ball, your center needs to rebound/block shots/roll to the basket. Basically Winning that rebounding war is crucial. Embiid at the elbow basically means our undersized guards/forwards are required to rebound which leads to transition 3’s that Celtics are good at and was what’s killed us past two games. It should be a guards initiated offence with Embiid used as a rebounding / defensive big. Guy needs to get down low and work hard down there. Fade away is not working… perhaps we can look at a 4 that can complement embiid over the summer. Paul reed with a jumper would be an answer.

Anyhow, Embiid at the elbow works well against most teams except small ball (Celtics & Warriors) unless he gets 45-50 per game which is a tall order.


Be interested to see if there are any adjustments tomorrow. Guess not?

I keep saying that Embiid should focus less on carrying the scoring load and more on anchoring the defense and rebounding. Now that he's finally won his MVP he should try to win DPOY as he stated he wants to do no?

The problem with that is that the other scorers on the team are prone to too wide of variation in their production. If Embiid focuses less on scoring and Harden and Maxey lay their customary eggs offensively, the team gets blown away.

Not necessarily. If one or both are having off nights, Embiid could hang around the paint for offensive rebounds and easy putbacks and/or kickouts to open shooters.

[Jay555]

I keep saying that Embiid should focus less on carrying the scoring load and more on anchoring the defense and rebounding. Now that he's finally won his MVP he should try to win DPOY as he stated he wants to do no?

The problem with that is that the other scorers on the team are prone to too wide of variation in their production. If Embiid focuses less on scoring and Harden and Maxey lay their customary eggs offensively, the team gets blown away.

Not necessarily. If one or both are having off nights, Embiid could hang around the paint for offensive rebounds and easy putbacks and/or kickouts to open shooters.

Exactly. If he can pull down 15-20 boards off the misses, he can just score them under the basket...Thing is he's a 7 foot Kobe and that's not his game lol. But we need to win the rebounding game nonetheless vs the Celtics, otherwise there is no path to victory. Imagine they own us on the glass which they do..plus the 50 3's they are going to get up every night. It's a recipe for blow outs.

[mjkvol]

I’m looking at these types of players next year:

Hart
Crowder
Olynyk
Barnes
Roco
Batum

Need more assurance at the 3/4 spot. Keep Reed, Melton and if Niang is on the cheap him too. Rest should be on the table imo

We must work on both the backcourt and front court issues next season. Would love Hart or Roco to play the Tucker/Green role. One is a monster rebounder and we all know Roco has zero conscious to shoot and is a good rebounder in his own right.

I've wanted Hart for the last couple of years, but that ship sailed. He's now a foundation piece for the Knicks and isn't going anywhere.

[mjkvol]

Is anyone else besides me sick of the coach as an excuse being a thing year after year?

If this team fails again, I'd love to see Doc step away and we go after Nurse just to once and for all eliminate coaching as a potential excuse for failure. Brett made it too easy to blame, meanwhile Doc's reputation for criticism simply comes with the territory. I really want to see a coach that isn't accompanied with negativity for at least one season before blowing anything up.

It isn't about using the coach as an excuse, and you don't make a coaching change for a reason as silly as that.

At some point it becomes clear if a coach either isn't reaching the players or is not making the right adjustments/rotations, and those things are exacerbated in playoff series, where each game is a separate entity. This is where it has become clear over many years that Rivers lacks the ability to adjust things from game to game and in-game, countering changes in the opponent's scheme and lineup.

Look at the GS-LA series - three games, and what has become a chess match between Kerr and Ham of lineup and scheme changes to counter what the other has done. When has Rivers ever done that, other than having to have it forced down his throat, as in finally playing Reed?

Rivers rolls basically the same lineup, rotation, and scheme virtually every game, and talks about execution. In the regular season you can get away with that, but in a playoff series against a tough, deep opponent, you sometimes need to make drastic moves to counter whet the opponent is doing and change the momentum of a series. Rivers can't do that because he never experiments in the regular season to possibly have guys prepared for a potential role, instead running his core into the ground looking for wins and a higher seed.

He's had three years, and this group has undergone major lineup changes, but still has the same tendencies and weaknesses. Instead of yet another major roster turnover, why not try a change in leadership, a different and fresh approach instead? The Bucks are doing it, and they won a title two years ago and had the best record in the league this year.

[phillynative]

Btw, we have to figure out whats wrong with Harden and Maxey.

Lets be constructive

My honest take (and people may get upset because of an MVP trophy) their ability and rhythm are hindered playing with Embiid trodding down the court and waiting for him to catch the ball at the top of the key. We got to see the other end of the spectrum in Game 1 where everything was fast and loose.

Boston is also elite at guarding the Harden-Embiid pick and roll (more like dump). Why are we still trying that?

Maxey is useless standing on a wing. That's not his game.

Exactly right. But we can’t do much about it. We do or die with the big fella. Boston has his numbers unfortunately.

No, Boston doesn't have his number they have the 76ers number. They simply outclass the Sixers organization. I bet if Embiid was on a team like the Heat or the Lakers this narrative wouldn't exist.

[Eyeamok]

Joel wins an MVP and is at the pinnacle of his marketability? Yeah, I'm sure Josh Harris is ready to ship him off and start over.

Yeah, probably won't happen. It doesn't means it should happen tho.....

People act like getting picks is the solution to building a championship franchise. You have to be so lucky and hit on so many picks. Just to get back to where you were. It's a hard process.

[Eyeamok]

Celtics made one adjustment after G1. That is putting Brown on Harden, face guarding him. This bothered Harden a lot. Harden is the engine of this team. If he struggles, the team struggles.

Let’s face it. Harden at this point of his career is not going to physically overpower Brown who’s insanely gifted and at his prime.

Now my point is what do you do as a coach to counter that. Well you at least get Harden to switch onto AI or Smart who he had good success playing against in G1 for instance to make him comfortable. You don’t get him to face Brown all the time so he gets nullified. His confidence was shook after getting blocked by Brown.

Another thing is Embiid catches the ball from the Elbow which leads to spacing issues for the whole team. Harden/Tobi brought up spacing after G2. A counter for that is a Embbid / Harden pick and roll and Embiid rolls to the basket. This opens up our O so much than Embiid elbow fade away or jump shot. Embiid can score or kick it out. They are happy for Embiid to get 50 but all others suck. Think about this, Embiid needed 52 pts to beat the Brown less Celtics in the regular season. It doesn’t work against them.

In addition, Melton to the starting line up and Maxey off the bench.

All I am saying is Doc needs to adjust and we need to change up a bit to have a chance. If it’s the same thing, then 1-4 we going fishing soon.

Excellent post. Which leaves me baffled because in another post you say Maxey and Harden now playing with Embiid is hampering their progress? Or maybe I read that incorrectly. Either way the coach Rivwers has to make adjustments for this team to be successful.

[Iverson Armband]

#1 priority should be a James Harden S&T to Houston for Jalen Green/Jae’Sean Tate/Filler and a FRP back. Then you look to move the Tobias contract for a serviceable wing defender or two.

This team needs to get younger, stronger and more talented.

[Arsenal]

#1 priority should be a James Harden S&T to Houston for Jalen Green/Jae’Sean Tate/Filler and a FRP back. Then you look to move the Tobias contract for a serviceable wing defender or two.

This team needs to get younger, stronger and more talented.

Why is Houston going to give us Jalen Green and other assets if they can sign Harden for free?

If we lose Harden to Houston, we likely get nothing.

[mjkvol]

My honest take (and people may get upset because of an MVP trophy) their ability and rhythm are hindered playing with Embiid trodding down the court and waiting for him to catch the ball at the top of the key. We got to see the other end of the spectrum in Game 1 where everything was fast and loose.

Boston is also elite at guarding the Harden-Embiid pick and roll (more like dump). Why are we still trying that?

Maxey is useless standing on a wing. That's not his game.

Exactly right. But we can’t do much about it. We do or die with the big fella. Boston has his numbers unfortunately.

No, Boston doesn't have his number they have the 76ers number. They simply outclass the Sixers organization. I bet if Embiid was on a team like the Heat or the Lakers this narrative wouldn't exist.

Or if Embiid had the first really competent coach of his pro career.

[rocketsfan100]

#1 priority should be a James Harden S&T to Houston for Jalen Green/Jae’Sean Tate/Filler and a FRP back. Then you look to move the Tobias contract for a serviceable wing defender or two.

This team needs to get younger, stronger and more talented.

Houston has 65 million in salary capspace. IT’s rumoured 40 is is reserved for harden and 25 for more auxiliary players to build around a core of Harden, Green, maybe if they get Wemby to go with Sengun