The Philadelphia 76ers won a nail-biter over the Washington Wizards in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. Tobias Harris led the way with 37 points, and after the game, he said the team was reminded how focused they need to be to make a deep playoff run, via John Clark of NBCSPhilly.
It’s easy for a top-seeded team such as the 76ers to think the first round of the playoffs will be a breeze facing the eighth-seeded team, especially considering the 76ers won all three meetings over the Wizards during the regular season. During the first half of the game, it showed the Sixers were taking the Wizards lightly. After halftime, the 76ers looked like the team everyone thought they would be.
Joel Embiid must stay out of foul trouble
Joel Embiid is the best player on the 76ers and the most dominant center in the NBA. When Embiid picked up his second foul of the game, the Sixers were winning 12-6. and then the Wizards outscored the Sixers 22-15. Despite playing 30 minutes, Embiid had a plus/minus of plus-20. Could you imagine if Embiid played five more minutes what his plus/minus would have been? The Wizards don’t have an answer for Embiid, so it’s vital for Embidd to stay out of foul trouble.
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The Philadelphia 76ers’ starters must get off to a fast start
Thanks to Harris’ 28 first-half points, the 76ers were only losing by one at halftime. The other four starters combined for 16 points, which isn’t good enough. With the new Play-In Tournament, the Sixers didn’t play for a week and the starters didn’t play for nine days due to sitting out the final game of the season because they already clinched the first seed. After playing a half of basketball, the 76ers looked like the rust was worn off and played like the first seed they are.
Make foul shots
I’m a believer that foul shots determine outcomes of basketball games, especially in the playoffs. It seems like in the postseason, the teams that win are the ones who win the turnover battle and are more efficient at the free throw line. In Game 1, the Sixers missed 10 from the charity strike. That’s a lot of points left off the table, and could be the difference between winning and losing, not only in Game 2 but the rest of the series and the remainder of the postseason.
The Philadelphia 76ers should win this series, and it shouldn’t even get past five games. If the Sixers want to send a message to the NBA that they are the team to beat, then Game 2 will be the perfect opportunity.