The pressure is officially on for the 2018-19 76ers.
Even though they finished the regular season 51-31, one less win than last season, the expectations are much greater than getting to Game 5 of the second round.
The Sixers are going to play the Brooklyn Nets in round one, a match-up that head coach Brett Brown called "dangerous" in late March when the Nets visited Wells Fargo Center.
Brooklyn guards D'Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert are the type of players that have given the Sixers big problems this season, in large part because of their ability to create off the dribble and attack with pick-and-rolls.
That being said, anything less than advancing will be considered a failure for the 76ers.
The Schedule
Sat, Apr 13 | 2:30pm | vs. Brooklyn
Mon, Apr 15 | 8:00pm | vs. Brooklyn
Thu, Apr 18 | 8:00pm | @ Brooklyn
Sat, Apr 20 | 3:00pm | @ Brooklyn
Tue, Apr 23 | TBD |
Thu, Apr 25 | TBD
Sat, Apr 27 | TBD
Sixers-Nets Regular Season Results
These teams split their four regular season meetings, with the Nets winning the first game 122-97 at Barclays Center, the Sixers taking the second match in Brooklyn 127-125 thanks to a Jimmy Butler buzzer beating three, the Nets winning the third showdown 127-124 in Philadelphia and the Sixers winning the most recent contest 123-110 in South Philadelphia on March 28.
It's worth nothing that Robert Covington, Dario Saric and Markelle Fultz were in the starting lineup for the first game and Tobias Harris was only around for the one in March. It should also be written that Brooklyn was wrapping up a ridiculous seven game road trip then, with most of those games out west. Russell and Dinwiddie were held to a combined 26 points. It's fair to assume the Nets were a little tired.
Experience Edge Goes To Philadelphia
The Nets are in the postseason for the first time in four years, an accomplishment that wasn't easily reached, as Brooklyn clinched on April 7, 81 games into their season. You could argue they're going in with momentum on a three-game winning streak, while the Sixers limped their way to the regular season finish line.
That being said, after what Embiid and Simmons went through last season, on top of Redick, Butler and Harris' careers, the Sixers are more experienced. That could be key in the opening games of this series, which take place at Wells Fargo Center.
Sixers Starting Unit That's Barely Played Together
The Sixers will essentially be playing organized pick-up when the postseason begins this weekend. Due to a number of injuries, and load management, the 76ers potent starting unit, at least on paper, played only 10 games together in the regular season. There have been 28 total games since Harris arrived to Philadelphia.
"It is a concern," head coach Brett Brown said prior to Wednesday's regular season finale against the Bulls. "…None of us should expect anything out of my mouth differently. To say you're going in to the NBA playoffs and you're starting five has played 10 games together, why would anybody here expect me to say honestly anything differently? Nobody's crying about it. The bad news is what I just said. The good news is we got talent."
That talent Brown talks about—Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Butler, Harris and JJ Redick—is 8-2 in those 10 games, with the losses coming to Boston at home (one week after the trade) and Atlanta on the road (a trap game that ended a six-game winning streak). The last time these guys played together a game was March 28, a 13-point win over a tired Nets team.
Brown expects the starters to be ready to go for Game 1, but said after Wednesday's regular season finale the team will offer "a statement in a clearer way than I guess I have about Joel."
General Manager Elton Brand believes Embiid will be ready, but hedged when pressed by reporters, admitting it's "possible" he isn't.
"I'm optimistic (Joel) plays this weekend, but it's a combination of how he feels. I think he'll present well and he'll be ready, but we don't know," Brand said.
Embiid missed 14 of the last 24 games because of left knee soreness and load management after only missing four prior to the All-Star break.
"He's a hyper competitive player," Brand said pregame. "He wants to win everything and it's about how he presents. We work with Joel with load management, 'how does he feel? How do you feel today? Can you go out there? What do you want to do?' Athlete Care and Joel work together, side by side.
"So when he presents well and he goes out there and he's dominating with 30-point, 20-point, 20-rebound type games, five blocks and no after or ill effects, you keep going with it because that's what he wants to do. He knows how important he is to our organization and his teammates."
Lack of Depth For Brown To Work With
The concern about the Sixers starters is they've barely played together, but their talent is undeniable. The 76ers depth, on the other hand, is another matter.
Even though Brown's postseason will probably be eight, maybe nine, guys, there isn't much to work with.
Brown can rely on Mike Soctt and maybe T.J. McConnell and Boban Marjanovic (on a good day for both T.J. and Bobi), but after that it's very inexperienced rookies Jonah Bolden and Zhaire Smith. James Ennis III is out with a right quad contusion and will miss some of the first postseason games.
Greg Monroe has been with the Sixers for a cup of coffee. Furkan Korkmaz just came back from knee surgery. Shake Milton won't be playoff eligible. Amir Johnson really shouldn't be used for significant minutes.
Basically, the Sixers will likely be heavily leaning on a starting five that's played 10 games together.
Expectations Remain High
Brown's goal for this season was to make The NBA Finals. It was that way before they started playing games, after the Butler trade and after the Harris trade. It's never changed and won't despite the starting five's lack of time together.
"I would like a coward sitting in front you all saying, 'My goal is to lose in the second round,'" Brown said. "I feel like it has to be (NBA Finals)…We get how hard it is to be the last man standing. We get how hard it will be coming out of the East. We understand the lack of consistency, for whatever reason, we've been able to generate with our starting five. We understand that we are still searching for that bench…So, it's not clear. We don't have the body of work to determine and me to look at you and say, 'Yup, here it is. These are the answers.' It's just not true.
"But, to me, the goal can't change. That's the way it is. And I own it. I'm going to coach like that. We're going to try to coach these guys like that. Nobody's playing or coaching afraid, and that's how I see it."
Brand expects the Sixers to go further than they did last season, without specifically highlighting The NBA Finals, like Brown did. That being said, Brand's opening statement to his end of regular season press conference featured a lot of positivity about the team for the immediate future. He said they're built for the postseason.
Wednesday Was Fan Appreciation Night
The most glaring aspect of Fan Appreciation Night was none of the starters played. While Brown understood the unfortunate nature of that, he factored in the importance of being as healthy as possible for the playoffs when weighing how to handle the last regular season promotion.
That being said, 76ers fans were treated to a 125-109 victory over the Bulls, and once again made Wells Fargo Center an outstanding atmosphere.
They came out in droves in 2018-19. Heading into Wednesday night, the Sixers averaged 20,459 fans for home games, which is tops in the NBA. That's certainly a reason they were 31-10 at Wells Fargo Center this season, accounting for nearly 61 percent of their wins this season.
"When I go back to my first year here in this city and we'd come in and then we would all experience the different levels of talent and volume of wins, the consistency was the fans," Brown said. "There was a sort of loud of proud thing that we talked about all time.
"I would regularly reference to my team, 'You see that family of up there of school teachers with their two kids or the plumber that brought his two sons to the game?' There is a responsibility, and it's Philadelphia, of playing hard.
"If you came into our building and you saw our on letterhead, you would see, 'Philly Hard, Philly Real.' You would see those words and I feel like Philadelphia there is an edge. And I think that these fans, whether we won 10 games or 53 or 50-we hope-one tonight, I think that's been the dot connector. I think that has been linear, their approach, their sort of spirit.
"And to be able play here in front of those types of people, that personality, that toughness, it counts for a lot. It really does count for a lot, and I think this building is going to blow up the first game we play."
There are a to of uncertainties heading to the postseason considering their starting five has barely paled together. But, one thing is guaranteed, and that's the energy Sixers fans will bring on a daily and nightly basis.
