Sixers: 5 important factors in Game 7 vs. Hawks
Important factors in Sixers-Hawks Game 7: Doc’s rotations
Doc Rivers went 10-deep on Friday. Six Hawks played 20+ minutes. Seven Sixers play 20+ minutes. Lou Williams and Matisse Thybulle logged roughly 11 minutes each, while Dwight Howard and Onyeka Okongwu were matched as backup centers for just under 10 minutes each.
As has been the case all series, Doc Rivers’ rotation will go a long way in determining the final outcome in Game 7. He has fallen into a pattern of unloading the bench for a pivotal stretch in the first half, only to trim the rotation and ride the hot hands (mostly) in the second half. Those first-half test drives should end on Sunday.
Rivers should only go eight deep, if that. He needs to put his best cards on the table and ride them hard. Every starter, minus Furkan Korkmaz, should log 40+ minutes if need be. Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, and George Hill (I know, I know) are the only reserves who should touch the floor. Shake Milton and Dwight Howard have been actively harmful all series, save for Shake’s miracle work in Game 2. They cannot touch the floor. The Sixers know as well as any team that five minutes of bad basketball can swing a game.
If Rivers were to follow my advice above (and he probably won’t), that would slot Ben Simmons as the “backup center” when Embiid sits. That is the right decision, recent Simmons hullabaloo aside. Go small, push the pace, and try to bury the Hawks under a pile of transition buckets and 3s.
No more using one starter and four bench pieces. At least two starters should share the floor at all times. Preferably not Korkmaz and Curry. The Sixers need to treat this like the end of the road, because it may very well be. There’s no excuse not to ride the starters hard. There’s no excuse not to give Tyrese Maxey another chance to elevate the offense and close the game. If Ben Simmons no-shows, Doc should do what he did in Game 6 — bench him.
This needs to be a strong tactical game from Rivers. A lot is riding on it.