Abin Thomas
Clearly the underdogs without Ben Simmons and a whacked up Joel Embiid, the Sixers’ chances of coming out of the first round don’t look too bright.
The majority of the regular NBA fans have already written Philadelphia off (just ask my friends), most of the people on twitter have written Philadelphia off, and many NBA analysts have also written Philadelphia off. However, it just isn’t that simple. The Sixers won the season series 3-1.
The Sixers will face multiple problems, especially on the defensive end, where the adjustments which Brett Brown makes could prove to be pivotal — it could ultimately make or break the Sixers’ chances of going through to the second round. Likewise, the fate of the Sixers’ postseason mainly lies in the hands of Joel Embiid. If Embiid plays well against double teams and kicks it out to open shooters, the Sixers stand a chance against the offense of Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker.
Rookie Matisse Thybulle will also have a major role in guarding Tatum, with the absence of Ben Simmons. He is definitely capable of disrupting the Celtics’ offense with his impressive defensive I.Q. and his long reach. However, his tendency to get into foul trouble will also determine the amount of minutes he gets on the court.
Likewise, the end result could come down to the performance of a few players — if they are able to play aggressive defense, hit open shots, and get a solid contribution from the bench on a nightly basis, the Sixers might upset one of the Easts strongest team.
I have full faith in Embiid (a bit too much maybe) to stay healthy and to play at the very best of his abilities, and to make a significant contribution to the team. Similarly, with Brett Brown’s future on the line, I also place my trust in him (his last chance to prove me wrong) to formulate a defensive strategy to dampen the full force of the Celtics offence.
In the Sixers I trust.