#61: Harden's Home Debut! 7:30PM EST

[phillynative]

Maxey's 3 pt shot has improved pit of sight.

Harden is the sixers best player.

Harden is the best Point guard we ever had.

[LeTimmAy]

Harden, embiid, maxey and Harris are good for 80-90ppg.

We only need 30-40 ppg from the rest. Should be doable.

[sodmoraes]

Harden, embiid, maxey and Harris are good for 80-90ppg.

We only need 30-40 ppg from the rest. Should be doable.

Let´s hope Shake comes back to live like last game, because Kork is so bad this year, that our bench scoring is pretty weak.

[Ferry Avenue]

That was a team identity-building, team culture-building win.

The team came into that game complacent, having beaten the same inferior team convincingly in the most recent game. What was there to prove? If they win that game, they establish nothing meaningful for themselves.

So the goal had to be something beyond beating the Knicks, as that goal can't possibly create the requisite motivation to play hard.

The team found that goal and used it to dominate the second half for another convincing win. I suspect that goal was simply that beating the Knicks -- again -- is consistent with who we are. This team wasn't going to let an inferior Knicks team beat it, despite that beating the Knicks wouldn't necessarily establish anything meaningful for themselves.

And they did it with player leadership, most notably Harden's exhortation of Maxey to come alive, which he did in glowing fashion.

That's the kind of stuff that builds a team's identity and culture. "Who we are" as a team is now different -- and better.

That's the kind of stuff they will bank on in beating a team in game seven of the playoffs, where talent is equal and these more emotional edges are needed.

[mjkvol]

I think offensively this team is one more good player away.

Defensively they remain quite vulnerable against good perimeter teams.

Don’t think a championship (or even a finals appearance) is in the cards but this upcoming stretch against good teams should show us a lot.

I have to agree with this, although I certainly don't want to. Right now Sixers are beating some bad to mediocre teams. Longer series against excellent teams will likely be different. Roster composition is pretty far from ideal. There's Harden, Embiid, and at least recently we've seen Maxey being excellent as well. Harris disappears with some frequency, the fifth starter likely won't score much, and the bench sucks unless it's one of those rare nights when someone gets super hot. Defense is suspect. And I don't trust Doc to play the right lineups at the right times.

Again, I *really* hope that I'm wrong. And with all of my skepticism, I still have hopes that we could at least make the conference finals. It's just that we also could not if we meet the wrong team earlier in the playoffs, and that would suck. I'd hope that Morey would be able to conduct the right kind of wizardry off-season, helped by some willing ring-chasers, to put things on the legit championship track after that. I'm just with those who see the Sixers as being a step or two away.

I feel the same way. Even though I look at anything accomplished this season as gravy and a prelude to what promises to be an incredibly special 2-3 years once Morey has a chance to address the supporting cast, it gets tougher to think that way with the excitement and leadership Harden has brought here.

Not only is the defense suspect, but offensive rebounds and second chance points have killed the Sixers this season, as we saw in the two Knicks games, which might have been wrapped up much earlier but for the loose rebounding. That could be a killer against good teams moving forward. And trust that Rivers will stick to what he does come hell or high water - expecting him to make any real rotation adjustments at this point is pretty much useless.

Regarding Harris, I just don't get this continued campaign to and seeming need for him to be any more than a spacer who plays some defense and rebounds. Just take open looks when they come - and they will. We saw clearly in the 2nd half that Maxey is going to be the third guy on this team, and for one of the first times he really asserted himself with both Embiid and Harris on the floor. That is another huge effect of the Harden factor.

[Ferry Avenue]

Great win but it just feels like we are 1 guy away from Winning it all. We just don’t have that sniper off the bench that can get you possibly 20 in a game and that’s what you need if you’re going win an Nba title. A Marco type. He doesn’t have to be an all-star but a guy you can count on to possibly get you 20 off the bench. There just isn’t a guy on the roster like that now.

Why does that player have to come off the bench as opposed to being a starter?

Kobe and Shaq won a title by averaging points in the high 20s, with the next-highest scorer as Derek Fisher at a mere 11.5 PPG, and he was a starter. The Sixers have Harden and Embiid scoring in that range, with Maxey contributing 20+.

Would you feel better if they started Korkmaz and he ran around with the starters and accomplished what he normally does, while Maxey came off the bench and scored the same 20+? Or are you saying they need Harden and Embiid to provide their typical contributions, Maxey to provide his 20+, and a 20-point "sniper" off the bench?

My lord, you're talking about one of the greatest teams of all time in that event. From those four players alone you'd have ~100 points. Certainly you're not saying the Sixers have to be one of the greatest teams of all time to win a championship.

[snoop88]

I was disappointed that at the deadline Morey didn’t have any other smaller moves in his back pocket. I would’ve loved to see the likes of Shake or Furkan moved for literally anything. Maybe another teams bench player who needed a change of scenery.

As we stand, I don’t think our supporting cast is good enough for a deep playoff run. And every year this fanbase fools themselves into thinking the bench doesn’t matter.

[phillynative]

I was disappointed that at the deadline Morey didn’t have any other smaller moves in his back pocket. I would’ve loved to see the likes of Shake or Furkan moved for literally anything. Maybe another teams bench player who needed a change of scenery.

As we stand, I don’t think our supporting cast is good enough for a deep playoff run. And every year this fanbase fools themselves into thinking the bench doesn’t matter.

Every season.

[Eyeamok]

Read on Twitter

Maxey is unreal

Leadership

Wow with this kind of attitude no wonder he wanted out of Brooklyn.

[Jailblazers7]

I think a title is absolutely possible this year with Harden/Embiid/Maxey playing like this. I agree that I’d feel a lot better if we had more depth but we’ve got as good a shot as anyone right now (except maybe a healthy Suns team).

The big thing that worries me is Doc. We’re going to face great coaches like Spo on the way to a title and they are going to make adjustments that I don’t trust Doc to match.

[KramerDSP]

Are we sure Stauskas isn’t the perfect Korkmaz replacement

[LloydFree]

Doc has finally seemed to reach his limit with Korkmaz. Korkmaz came in played 4 minutes, got a quick minus 8, and didn't get back in until garbage time. Even mentioned Isaiah Joe as an option to get his minutes. Things are looking up.

[Ferry Avenue]

I was disappointed that at the deadline Morey didn’t have any other smaller moves in his back pocket. I would’ve loved to see the likes of Shake or Furkan moved for literally anything. Maybe another teams bench player who needed a change of scenery.

As we stand, I don’t think our supporting cast is good enough for a deep playoff run. And every year this fanbase fools themselves into thinking the bench doesn’t matter.

I'd be interested to see any objective information that can determine definitively that the Sixers' bench, as opposed to their starters, has been responsible for their failure to proceed farther in the playoffs in recent years.

Certainly when you replace Ben Simmons with James Harden as the starting point guard you strongly increase the team's likelihood of proceeding farther in the playoffs, regardless of what's happening with the bench.

[LloydFree]

Are we sure Stauskas isn’t the perfect Korkmaz replacement

Why, so he can score 6 points and give up 20 to anybody he pretends to defend?

[Eyeamok]

Are we sure Stauskas isn’t the perfect Korkmaz replacement

Why, so he can score 6 points and give up 20 to anybody he pretends to defend?

76ers fans always throwing a cold dose of reality on my dreams.

But with that said. I don't care for all this championship talk and I hope the team is not buying into all the praise being heaped on them right now. It felt good going to the ESPN main basketball page to see a headline about Demar placing the Bulls in a position to win a championship. Those are the headlines I like to read. Mainstream media keep the 76ers out of your collective mouths. Only want to hear how the 76ers suck and can't sustain this level of play. How they are deficient and don't have what it takes to win a championship.

Not scared but optimistically apprehensive. But as Arsenal advised I am heading to the Animal shelter today to look at dogs.

[Suwanee]

Read on Twitter

Maxey is unreal

Leadership

Wow with this kind of attitude no wonder he wanted out of Brooklyn.

Harden approached Kryie and asked if he was going to play the home games.
Kyrie: Butterfly's soul is beautiful.

Harden asked to be traded the next day.

[FireMorey]

I was disappointed that at the deadline Morey didn’t have any other smaller moves in his back pocket. I would’ve loved to see the likes of Shake or Furkan moved for literally anything. Maybe another teams bench player who needed a change of scenery.

As we stand, I don’t think our supporting cast is good enough for a deep playoff run. And every year this fanbase fools themselves into thinking the bench doesn’t matter.

After seeing few smaller moves made by any contenders on the deadline, I think it's likely that with the play in game, fewer teams want to deal, and also a lot of the guys discussed are probably soon to be free agents, which trading anything notable for would be bad business to just rent them for 2 months. Either that or bad contracts like Kemba.

[LloydFree]

Harden, embiid, maxey and Harris are good for 80-90ppg.

We only need 30-40 ppg from the rest. Should be doable.

Let´s hope Shake comes back to live like last game, because Kork is so bad this year, that our bench scoring is pretty weak.

Bench scoring? The team is scoring 125ppg. Bench scoring isn't a need.

The 76ers problem is figuring out how to stop the Avalanche of points the opposing team is scoring at the end of the 1st and 3rd, and beginning of the 2nd and 4th, when Embiid sits.

The Knicks went on a 20-5 run in the 1st half last night, when Embiid sat. They did the same thing the previous game in the 2nd half, when he sat

[mjkvol]

Doc has finally seemed to reach his limit with Korkmaz. Korkmaz came in played 4 minutes, got a quick minus 8, and didn't get back in until garbage time. Even mentioned Isaiah Joe as an option to get his minutes. Things are looking up.

Just the chance that could happen is the best news I've heard today.

[mjkvol]

Harden, embiid, maxey and Harris are good for 80-90ppg.

We only need 30-40 ppg from the rest. Should be doable.

Let´s hope Shake comes back to live like last game, because Kork is so bad this year, that our bench scoring is pretty weak.

Bench scoring? The team is scoring 125ppg. Bench scoring isn't a need.

The 76ers problem is figuring out how to stop the Avalanche of points the opposing team is scoring at the end of the 1st and 3rd, and beginning of the 2nd and 4th, when Embiid sits.

The Knicks went on a 20-5 run in the 1st half last night, when Embiid sat. They did the same thing the previous game in the 2nd half, when he sat

A huge part has been the complete lack of defensive rebounding. Those Knicks comebacks were fueled more by second chance points than anything else.

It's not 'bench scoring' per se, but the team just looks out of sync and rudderless often without Harden on the floor. There were a lot of wasted possessions (turnovers and bad shots) during those runs, which is something that needs to be tightened up. Maxey asserting himself with Harden sitting in the 3rd was a great sign.