The Sixer Sense
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Sixers are staying the course heading into Game 2

By Christopher Kline

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers is assisted off the floor by teammates Robert Covington #33 and Amir Johnson #5 in Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics on April 30, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 28: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers is assisted off the floor by teammates Robert Covington #33 and Amir Johnson #5 in Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics on April 30, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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) /
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Game 1 was an ugly loss for the Philadelphia 76ers, and adjustments need to be made. That doesn’t mean anything drastic, though.

The Philadelphia 76ers had won 20 of their last 21 entering Monday night’s Game 1. They were the hottest team in the NBA, and many were dubbing them favorites in the Eastern Conference.

Reality gave them a pretty hard slap on the wrist.

As things currently stand, the Sixers are still favorites over Boston. As bad as the loss looked — especially with Jaylen Brown sitting out — it was just one game on the road, in a tough environment, after six days of rest. Rust was an obvious factor.

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The Sixers still managed to get good looks on the perimeter despite the Celtics’ stellar defense, while Joel Embiid took advantage of isolation opportunities in the post. Ben Simmons was well defended, but he still managed to find ways to produce down the stretch. They lost, but there’s reason to believe the Sixers can bounce back.

We’ve all heard the NBA described as a ‘make or miss’ league before, and that’s largely what Monday night boiled down to. The Celtics were 17-35 from deep, with Terry Rozier channeling his inner Stephen Curry en route to 29 points on 7-9 three-point shooting. The Sixers, one of the best shooting teams in the league, shot just 5-26 from range.

Philly needs to improve their defense across the board, but the Celtics made a lot of the shots the Sixers wanted them to take. When Aron Baynes is hitting multiple three-pointers in the same game, you just have to tip your cap and trust that it won’t happen again.

Marco Belinelli and J.J. Redick were torched on the defensive end, but Brett Brown is capable of making adjustments in that realm. What Redick and Marco bring to the floor offensively is still valuable, and I expect them to start hitting shots eventually.

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In short, the Sixers shouldn’t be in panic mode. Boston is a good team that’s capable of winning this series, but Philly’s talent edge is still there. If they can find their identity defensively and hit at anywhere close to their normal rate from deep, expect the Sixers to start winning games.

Brett Brown seems to agree, stating that the Sixers won’t be making any “massive-type” adjustments in Game 2.

"“The greatest challenge is to select a vanilla game plan and walk it down. When you have to start pivoting out of massive-type decisions, that’s when you end up chasing and I find you don’t win series that way.” — NBC Sports Philadelphia"

Next: 3 adjustments worth making in Game 2

Again, there are certainly things the Sixers need to change, with a lot of those necessary changes coming on the defensive end. They just don’t need to rewrite the book this early in a very winnable series. What the Sixers are doing has worked for a couple months now, so staying the course and focusing on execution is the right game plan.