ECSF Gm 5: 76ers (2-2) at Heat (2-2) | Tue 5/10 7:30PM TNT (EST)

[phillynative]

As much as guys don't want to admit it . It does take a certain temperament, personality, cohesion ,(Luck FFS) and team makeup to get to the top. If you don't think guys like Popivich, Riley, Jackson know this as true than your green and naive. Look at all the players who have won chips and look at their personal makeup and how the next guys on the team align with it or make up for whatever is lacking .

Shaq=Domiant but lazy , Hollywood, Likeable , Popular,Talented
Kobe= Driven, Chip on shoulder, Optimist, Loner,

Magic= Fresh Talent, Star, Charasmatic, Innovater Kareem= Steadfast, dilligent, cerebal, technician

MJ=Hardworking, Driven, Renogade, Machine like, Scottie = Flexible, Driven as well, All -Around ability, Defend any position, Willing to take back seat long as there are wins(Kobe?),Down to earth (lol)

Steph/Klay = Quiet competitiveness demeanor Technicians, Innovaters ,Hardworking,Unwavering confidence, high bball Iq
Draymond= High bball Iq, "tougness" , fiery competitiveness,Fighter. Flexible...

I could go on and on but the makeup of the teams and what fits with with x, y and z plays a big part on the the teams success...


So with Embiid being up and down and emotional you will probably need someone more cerebal to take the reigns when needed. It is what it is, if we trust in him as a talented player than it's more than likely you have to fit that type of player beside him to help lead

[eyeatoma]

What a pathetic game.

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[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I had a feeling we were going to get curb stomped. Doesn't matter now. We have to win game six. Thing is, after getting rocked last night, I think it's over in six. Our season ends on own home court for the third year in a row.

[Jailblazers7]

I’m super disappointed from last night but not that bummed tbh.

Embiid absolutely needs to do better as a leader but I get it. He has a broken face, a busted shooting hand, and he’s the only competent defender on the entire roster. At some point, it’s natural that he’s gonna have a flat game. He also came into the season knowing the team couldn’t win a title so he set his full focus on winning an MVP and not getting it was deflating. Still, gotta be better.

As for the rest of the team, we’re dogsh*t on the wings which is basically the #1 red flag in the playoffs. Georges Niang is our 6th man, which really says it all. We have a pretty clear path to improvement this summer (unlike most years when it felt impossible). So overall, I’m bummed but very optimistic about the next couple years of Sixers basketball.

[GoSixersBro]

I had a feeling we were going to get curb stomped. Doesn't matter now. We have to win game six. Thing is, after getting rocked last night, I think it's over in six. Our season ends on own home court for the third year in a row.

Not giving you the Bubble.

[GoSixersBro]

As much as guys don't want to admit it . It does take a certain temperament, personality, cohesion ,(Luck FFS) and team makeup to get to the top. If you don't think guys like Popivich, Riley, Jackson know this as true than your green and naive. Look at all the players who have won chips and look at their personal makeup and how the next guys on the team align with it or make up for whatever is lacking .

Shaq=Domiant but lazy , Hollywood, Likeable , Popular,Talented
Kobe= Driven, Chip on shoulder, Optimist, Loner,

Magic= Fresh Talent, Star, Charasmatic, Innovater Kareem= Steadfast, dilligent, cerebal, technician

MJ=Hardworking, Driven, Renogade, Machine like, Scottie = Flexible, Driven as well, All -Around ability, Defend any position, Willing to take back seat long as there are wins(Kobe?),Down to earth (lol)

Steph/Klay = Quiet competitiveness demeanor Technicians, Innovaters ,Hardworking,Unwavering confidence, high bball Iq
Draymond= High bball Iq, "tougness" , fiery competitiveness,Fighter. Flexible...

I could go on and on but the makeup of the teams and what fits with with x, y and z plays a big part on the the teams success...


So with Embiid being up and down and emotional you will probably need someone more cerebal to take the reigns when needed. It is what it is, if we trust in him as a talented player than it's more than likely you have to fit that type of player beside him to help lead

Very well said.

[Ferry Avenue]

I’m super disappointed from last night but not that bummed tbh.

Embiid absolutely needs to do better as a leader but I get it. He has a broken face, a busted shooting hand, and he’s the only competent defender on the entire roster. At some point, it’s natural that he’s gonna have a flat game. He also came into the season knowing the team couldn’t win a title so he set his full focus on winning an MVP and not getting it was deflating. Still, gotta be better.

As for the rest of the team, we’re dogsh*t on the wings which is basically the #1 red flag in the playoffs. Georges Niang is our 6th man, which really says it all. We have a pretty clear path to improvement this summer (unlike most years when it felt impossible). So overall, I’m bummed but very optimistic about the next couple years of Sixers basketball.

This should've been precisely the game for him in which he wasn't flat, having just watched James Harden beat the Heat virtually singlehandedly in the fourth quarter of the previous game, to climb back into the series and keep their championship hopes alive. If Embiid is down about who's surrounding him on the court, this certainly shouldn't have been the game in which that was expressed through his demeanor.

[thenbaman]

I don't get all this Embiid bashing. Embiid has been amazing for us, we need to appreciate him more, the problem is that he has no help and refs swallow their whistle.

It's because he's a habitual playoff offender when it comes to showing up with a sudden defeated attitude in the middle of a competitive playoff series. He sets the tone for the team and that deflated sulky energy he brought to Miami last night was inexcusable.

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This!

It was extremely disappointing, too old to be acting like a baby feeling sorry for himself.

If we can get a haul it’s time to ship him out.

IDIOT

[thenbaman]

I had a feeling we were going to get curb stomped. Doesn't matter now. We have to win game six. Thing is, after getting rocked last night, I think it's over in six. Our season ends on own home court for the third year in a row.

Not happening,we will win game six.

[Bum Adebayo]

Embiid is the best think that has ever happened to this franchise, show some respect mother ****!

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I had a feeling we were going to get curb stomped. Doesn't matter now. We have to win game six. Thing is, after getting rocked last night, I think it's over in six. Our season ends on own home court for the third year in a row.

Not happening,we will win game six.

Yeah you said we'd win game five too.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I had a feeling we were going to get curb stomped. Doesn't matter now. We have to win game six. Thing is, after getting rocked last night, I think it's over in six. Our season ends on own home court for the third year in a row.

Not giving you the Bubble.

My bad.

[Ferry Avenue]

As much as guys don't want to admit it . It does take a certain temperament, personality, cohesion ,(Luck FFS) and team makeup to get to the top. If you don't think guys like Popivich, Riley, Jackson know this as true than your green and naive. Look at all the players who have won chips and look at their personal makeup and how the next guys on the team align with it or make up for whatever is lacking .

Shaq=Domiant but lazy , Hollywood, Likeable , Popular,Talented
Kobe= Driven, Chip on shoulder, Optimist, Loner,

Magic= Fresh Talent, Star, Charasmatic, Innovater Kareem= Steadfast, dilligent, cerebal, technician

MJ=Hardworking, Driven, Renogade, Machine like, Scottie = Flexible, Driven as well, All -Around ability, Defend any position, Willing to take back seat long as there are wins(Kobe?),Down to earth (lol)

Steph/Klay = Quiet competitiveness demeanor Technicians, Innovaters ,Hardworking,Unwavering confidence, high bball Iq
Draymond= High bball Iq, "tougness" , fiery competitiveness,Fighter. Flexible...

I could go on and on but the makeup of the teams and what fits with with x, y and z plays a big part on the the teams success...


So with Embiid being up and down and emotional you will probably need someone more cerebal to take the reigns when needed. It is what it is, if we trust in him as a talented player than it's more than likely you have to fit that type of player beside him to help lead

Right, so basically what I've been saying for months here about this team's ceiling, and how it's dictated by 1) Embiid's remaining layer of "baby fat," which accounts for the regular dips in his performance (a la last night), and 2) Harden's lack of dog mentality. Neither player has what it takes at the present time to be the "spearhead" player necessary to win a championship.

When you get into the advanced rounds of the playoffs and teams are very evenly matched, it's the mental/emotional variables that rule the day. You need a spearhead player with a dog mentality at the right position on the court (PG or wing). No different from the NFL where you need a top QB.

Anybody could have predicted this team's second-round exit, just from looking at the roster and the mentalities of the players involved and the positions they play.

[FireMorey]

All of this talk is so absurd. The Sixers are playing with the most important player to any team as a shell of himself with no depth to supplement and it's only a 3-2 series against the #1 seed. People act like the Sixers are the 1 seed 100% healthy losing 3-1 to the 8th seed.

"Dog mentality" has nothing to do with it. It's talent, health, and execution. You can't pick and choose when you want to use that narrative. I guess they didn't have a "dog mentality" in games 3 and 4. Or games 1,2,3 and 6 vs Toronto. Only when they lose is it a factor.

You can be as fired up as you want, if the Sixers are going to have stupid turnovers and not hit their shots, they're going to lose. Snarling doesn't win you basketball games.

The Sixers need more talent if they want to win. Not more mental toughness. They still have not one player who can score consistently in isolation when they need to. We thought Harden would be that in spades. He has not been. Until the Sixers get one, they are going to rely a ton of 3 point shooting, a ton on Embiid to carry the load(with injury issues) and rely on role players to up their games to the next level, which is not ideal.

[Ferry Avenue]

They still have not one player who can score consistently in isolation when they need to. We thought Harden would be that in spades. He has not been. Until the Sixers get one, they are going to rely a ton of 3 point shooting, a ton on Embiid to carry the load(with injury issues) and rely on role players to up their games to the next level, which is not ideal.

So in that paragraph we're saying essentially the same thing.

In the end there will be two teams remaining that are virtually evenly matched physically, and the one with the player "who can score consistently in isolation" you mentioned -- who is also the bigger dog and therefore comes to play at a higher level mentally/emotionally and inspires his team to play in that manner (which is critical) -- will very likely be on the team that wins the championship series.

Obviously if you don't have such a player, you stand virtually no chance of getting to that point in the season.

[mjkvol]

I’m super disappointed from last night but not that bummed tbh.

Embiid absolutely needs to do better as a leader but I get it. He has a broken face, a busted shooting hand, and he’s the only competent defender on the entire roster. At some point, it’s natural that he’s gonna have a flat game. He also came into the season knowing the team couldn’t win a title so he set his full focus on winning an MVP and not getting it was deflating. Still, gotta be better.

As for the rest of the team, we’re dogsh*t on the wings which is basically the #1 red flag in the playoffs. Georges Niang is our 6th man, which really says it all. We have a pretty clear path to improvement this summer (unlike most years when it felt impossible). So overall, I’m bummed but very optimistic about the next couple years of Sixers basketball.

Overlooking the obvious trolls and the idiots that show up only after losses with garbage like 'dog mentality' and 'spearhead player', it's really disappointing how many knowledgeable people on here fall into the 'Embiid is soft' narrative. Not pointing at you at all, at least you acknowledged that the man is a walking injury report.

At what point do we accept what Embiid is, flaws and all? After wins he's a warrior and a superhero with the mask, and after every loss the morons are allowed to control the narrative, calling him soft and questioning his heart and toughness, and some that know better actually go along with it!

Embiid is what he is, and that is a player that most cities would give their right arm to have, a guy who loves and bleeds Philly, and desperately wants to bring a championship here. He is also a player who is prone to occasional down games where he appears out of it and disinterested, which usually are when he isn't healthy.

But some people expect an automaton who can be something he isn't because they want that kind of player. Embiid was never a fiery leader type, but all of a sudden he needs to be because it's somehow expected of him by trolls and butthurt fans. Damn, at what point do we just accept and appreciate what we have - a future HOFer who will play his entire career here?

[Ferry Avenue]

I would venture to say that the Heat in this series got more of a boost from playing alongside Jimmy Butler with the way he played in their two losses, than the Sixers got from any of their players at any point in the series.

Even when you're losing a player can be inspirational. When you're playing alongside Butler and losing, and he's giving it all he's got in customary Butler fashion, that carries over to the future games in the series and provides inspiration to carry through and prevail despite the hiccups.

The Sixers have none of that from anybody, because the performance of their key players is too variable. When you're losing and Butler is playing like he did in games 3 and 4, you know you're gonna get that from him in future games and have a good chance of winning them. When you get peak performances out of Embiid and Harden you have to wonder if you're going to get anything similar from them again in the series.

Butler is a steady source of inspiration. Embiid and Harden are unpredictable and therefore can't possibly be as inspirational.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

OMFG, here we go with the "Dog" mentality crap again! SMFH!

[FireMorey]

They still have not one player who can score consistently in isolation when they need to. We thought Harden would be that in spades. He has not been. Until the Sixers get one, they are going to rely a ton of 3 point shooting, a ton on Embiid to carry the load(with injury issues) and rely on role players to up their games to the next level, which is not ideal.

So in that paragraph we're saying essentially the same thing.

In the end there will be two teams remaining that are virtually evenly matched physically, and the one with the player "who can score consistently in isolation" you mentioned -- who is also the bigger dog and therefore comes to play at a higher level mentally/emotionally and inspires his team to play in that manner (which is critical) -- will very likely be on the team that wins the championship series.

Obviously if you don't have such a player, you stand virtually no chance of getting to that point in the season.

No, it comes down to what team executes better on that day and makes a higher % of their shots. "Inspiration" is intangible, it can't be measured. No one knows who is inspired and who isn't watching games. Inspiration doesn't make you make shots.

[Jailblazers7]

You don’t think the Sixers got a boost from Embiid coming back from an awful injury to tie up the series at home?

I’m not gonna defend Embiid for being sad about not winning an MVP. And this isn’t the first time he’s disappointed in the playoffs. But he couldn’t even using his cell phone a week ago because of his concussion. And he immediately tweaks his back and gets his head hit in the same spot, which is was painful that he cried on the floor. I’m just not going to knock him that hard for last night.

Motivation is all well and good but the reality is that our wing rotation (not including Harden) vs their wing rotation (not including Jimmy) is:

Green/Thybulle/Niang/Furk vs Strus/Herro/Robinson/Oladipo

That’s just not good lol. And yet, we’re still 2-1 in the series with Embiid so I just don’t get why we’re gonna act like only this game is indicative of his leadership but the prior 2 games aren’t.