The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Are the Boston Celtics in the Philadelphia 76ers heads?

By Bret Stuter

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 11: Robert Covington (33) of Philadelphia 76ers in action against Jayson Tatum (3rd L) of Boston Celtics during the NBA game between Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers at the O2 Arena in London, England on January 11, 2018. (Photo by Yunus Dalgic/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 11: Robert Covington (33) of Philadelphia 76ers in action against Jayson Tatum (3rd L) of Boston Celtics during the NBA game between Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers at the O2 Arena in London, England on January 11, 2018. (Photo by Yunus Dalgic/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia 76ers
PHILADELPHIA,PA – JANUARY 3 : Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center on January 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Adaptation or extinction

Well that is a huge question. And the bottom line is that the Philadelphia 76ers must adapt. Somehow, that must translate into the Philadelphia 76ers out muscling an NBA playoff team going forward, that is a huge task for this team today.  The team is still building, still developing, still improving.

But that task is now on them, and they are on the clock. To move forward, this team must grow up quickly and fix the egregious errors. Can we simply sit back and give them time? After all, this is a very young team. The answer is no. The Philadlephia 76ers cannot simply sit back and pray that it “comes to them” in the heat of post-season play.

Coach Brown noticed physicality

In his post game, head coach Brett Brown noticed the 76ers were dominated on the boards by the more physical Celtics. That could be partially due to the fact that the Celtics played all 13 eligible players in the game. The 76ers played just 11, but have played fewer players in games due to injuries.

In Philadelphia, once a head coach identifies the issue, the clock begins ticking on resolving it. That is not to say that the team must beat the pants off the Celtics for the next three games. But the team must demonstrate that when Boston runs a double team against Embiid deep in the post, the 76ers have a way to score against that defense. The Sixers are a young team, but there is an expectation of development.