How Doc Rivers Can Save the Sixers (and His Reputation)

By Adam D Anglo On Apr 28, 2022

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

A week ago, the Philadelphia 76ers were dominating the Toronto Raptors. Remember the epic Game 3 winner from Joel Embiid? Neither do we.

Since then, it was revealed that Embiid had suffered a thumb injury, the Raptors won two straight, and 76ers coach Doc Rivers has had to answer questions about his history of postseason collapses (Rivers teams have blown three 3-1 leads, three 3-2 leads and one 2-0 lead):

NBACentral @TheNBACentral

Doc Rivers fires back at reporters for bringing up his 3-1 collapses <br><br>(???? <a href=”https://twitter.com/NBCSPhilly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@NBCSPhilly</a> ) <a href=”https://t.co/E0ekAb5Qz8″>pic.twitter.com/E0ekAb5Qz8</a>

If Rivers wants to save himself from further mockery, he needs to get the offense back to playing with speed. Early offense, early action for Harden, no excuses.

What happened to Philly’s 3-0 series lead?

It’s more than Embiid’s thumb injury. The 76ers got slower and significantly less efficient. Their offensive rating went from 127.1 in three games to 98.4 the last two games.

In Game 1, the Sixers jumped off the screen with how quickly they played in the half-court. They got into their offense early in the shot clock, forcing the Raptors to defend longer and multiple actions.

In its two subsequent losses, Philly has bafflingly slowed its pace. Not just in transition (the Sixers are actually averaging more fast-break points in this series than the regular season: 16.2 points vs. 12.2 points), but also in the half-court.

Playing fast in the half-court does not necessarily mean a quick shot. It’s about getting to multiple actions and pushing the ball even in non-transition plays, like they did here in Game 1.

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As you see, Tyrese Maxey crosses half court with 20 seconds on the shot clock. Embiid sets the high ball screen with 15 on the clock, and the Raptors defense is too attached to Embiid, creating a driving lane for Maxey.

A few possessions later, Embiid gets into the frontcourt with 21 seconds on the shot clock.

CJ McCollum and the Blazers Snapped Postseason Losing Streak for “Jennifer”
Jordan, Irving & Paul Invest in Plant-Based Food as Vegetarianism Sweeps NBA
Boogie, Luka and the Rest of the NBA Got Some Wild Techs This Season
Jarrett Allen Is One of the NBA’s Hottest Rim Protectors
Dwyane Wade’s Jersey Swaps Created Epic Moments This NBA Season
OKC’s Russell Westbrook Makes NBA History While Honoring Nipsey Hussle
Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear
29 Years Ago Today, Michael Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points
Chris Bosh Is Getting His No. 1 Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami
Steph Curry Returns to Houston for the First Time Since His Moon Landing Troll
Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year
Step Aside Lakers, Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine
LeBron Passes Jordan on All-Time Scoring List, Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books
Trae Young’s Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka Doncic
LeBron James and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album
Miami Heat Legend Dwyane Wade’s #OneLastDance Dominated February
Warriors Fans Go Wild After Unforgettable Moments and Gifts from Steph Curry
Eight Years Ago, the Nuggets Traded Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks
Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Superstar DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans
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He swings it to James Harden, who hits Tobias Harris on an early post-up for a bucket with 15 seconds on the shot clock.

Later in the quarter, Harden brings the ball up a little slower, but the Sixers are already in multiple actions. Maxey gets the ball from Harden after setting a screen and the defense recovers. Maxey sends it back to Harden with Embiid coming to set a second screen with 10 seconds on the shot clock.

The defense collapses on that action, and Harden finds Georges Niang for a corner three.

CJ McCollum and the Blazers Snapped Postseason Losing Streak for “Jennifer”
Jordan, Irving & Paul Invest in Plant-Based Food as Vegetarianism Sweeps NBA
Boogie, Luka and the Rest of the NBA Got Some Wild Techs This Season
Jarrett Allen Is One of the NBA’s Hottest Rim Protectors
Dwyane Wade’s Jersey Swaps Created Epic Moments This NBA Season
OKC’s Russell Westbrook Makes NBA History While Honoring Nipsey Hussle
Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear
29 Years Ago Today, Michael Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points
Chris Bosh Is Getting His No. 1 Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami
Steph Curry Returns to Houston for the First Time Since His Moon Landing Troll
Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year
Step Aside Lakers, Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine
LeBron Passes Jordan on All-Time Scoring List, Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books
Trae Young’s Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka Doncic
LeBron James and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album
Miami Heat Legend Dwyane Wade’s #OneLastDance Dominated February
Warriors Fans Go Wild After Unforgettable Moments and Gifts from Steph Curry
Eight Years Ago, the Nuggets Traded Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks
Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Superstar DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans
The NBA All-Star Game Will Be Competitive Again If the League Raises the Stakes

The Sixers did that all game, which helped guys like Maxey and Harris go off.

In the first three games, Maxey shot 60.0 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from three. He averaged 26.7 points, including a 38-point outburst in Game 1. Harris averaged 19.0 points on 58.8 shooting and a hot 63.6 percent from three.

Playing fast doesn’t hurt Embiid and Harden. Embiid put up 27.7 points and 51.0 percent shooting while getting to the line an average of 11.3 times in the first three games. Harden averaged 18.3 points with efficient 41.0/46.7/80.0 shooting splits.

Let’s say it: The Raptors deserve credit for slowing down the Sixers.

Toronto has established higher pickup points and forced the Sixers to run offense from near half court. The Raptors are not committing multiple defenders to the Harden-Embiid pick-and-rolls. They are switching the picks and not having a third player shade toward the action, cutting down on second side actions for Maxey and Harris.

And their numbers have nosedived. Maxey has averaged 11.5 points over the last two games and has shot just 16.7 percent from three. Harris has not fared much better with 15.5 points and 27.3 percent from deep. Embiid has not hit a three since the game-winner. Harden has been less efficient, shooting 28.6 percent from three and 32.1 percent overall.

Take this example from Game 5.

CJ McCollum and the Blazers Snapped Postseason Losing Streak for “Jennifer”
Jordan, Irving & Paul Invest in Plant-Based Food as Vegetarianism Sweeps NBA
Boogie, Luka and the Rest of the NBA Got Some Wild Techs This Season
Jarrett Allen Is One of the NBA’s Hottest Rim Protectors
Dwyane Wade’s Jersey Swaps Created Epic Moments This NBA Season
OKC’s Russell Westbrook Makes NBA History While Honoring Nipsey Hussle
Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear
29 Years Ago Today, Michael Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points
Chris Bosh Is Getting His No. 1 Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami
Steph Curry Returns to Houston for the First Time Since His Moon Landing Troll
Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year
Step Aside Lakers, Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine
LeBron Passes Jordan on All-Time Scoring List, Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books
Trae Young’s Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka Doncic
LeBron James and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album
Miami Heat Legend Dwyane Wade’s #OneLastDance Dominated February
Warriors Fans Go Wild After Unforgettable Moments and Gifts from Steph Curry
Eight Years Ago, the Nuggets Traded Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks
Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Superstar DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans
The NBA All-Star Game Will Be Competitive Again If the League Raises the Stakes

Maxey tries to attack early but Scottie Barnes stops the drive. Instead, he seeks pick-and-roll action with Harden, who gets the ball and goes into an isolation. With eight seconds left on the clock Harden tries to attack Barnes, who comes up with the stop, and the Raptors score in transition.

That possession featured just one pass and hardly any stress on the defense. No speed, no movement.

Later in the second quarter, the Sixers don’t get into an offensive action until 13 seconds are left on the shot clock. The Harden-Embiid pick-and-roll gets Embiid a post-up. Harden throws the entry pass with eight seconds on the shot clock. Embiid goes to a quick fadeaway.

CJ McCollum and the Blazers Snapped Postseason Losing Streak for “Jennifer”
Jordan, Irving & Paul Invest in Plant-Based Food as Vegetarianism Sweeps NBA
Boogie, Luka and the Rest of the NBA Got Some Wild Techs This Season
Jarrett Allen Is One of the NBA’s Hottest Rim Protectors
Dwyane Wade’s Jersey Swaps Created Epic Moments This NBA Season
OKC’s Russell Westbrook Makes NBA History While Honoring Nipsey Hussle
Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear
29 Years Ago Today, Michael Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points
Chris Bosh Is Getting His No. 1 Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami
Steph Curry Returns to Houston for the First Time Since His Moon Landing Troll
Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year
Step Aside Lakers, Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine
LeBron Passes Jordan on All-Time Scoring List, Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books
Trae Young’s Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka Doncic
LeBron James and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album
Miami Heat Legend Dwyane Wade’s #OneLastDance Dominated February
Warriors Fans Go Wild After Unforgettable Moments and Gifts from Steph Curry
Eight Years Ago, the Nuggets Traded Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks
Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Superstar DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans
The NBA All-Star Game Will Be Competitive Again If the League Raises the Stakes

This was the offense from Philly late in the regular season that had some thinking the Raptors could pull off the upset.

Philly needs to get Harden opportunities to attack on the move. One example comes early in Game 5 when Harden comes off a Harris screen. Harris slips the action and Harden gets a dribble handoff from Embiid. Harden comes off the screen fast, turns the corner to attract help, opening up the pass to Embiid.

CJ McCollum and the Blazers Snapped Postseason Losing Streak for “Jennifer”
Jordan, Irving & Paul Invest in Plant-Based Food as Vegetarianism Sweeps NBA
Boogie, Luka and the Rest of the NBA Got Some Wild Techs This Season
Jarrett Allen Is One of the NBA’s Hottest Rim Protectors
Dwyane Wade’s Jersey Swaps Created Epic Moments This NBA Season
OKC’s Russell Westbrook Makes NBA History While Honoring Nipsey Hussle
Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear
29 Years Ago Today, Michael Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points
Chris Bosh Is Getting His No. 1 Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami
Steph Curry Returns to Houston for the First Time Since His Moon Landing Troll
Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year
Step Aside Lakers, Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine
LeBron Passes Jordan on All-Time Scoring List, Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books
Trae Young’s Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka Doncic
LeBron James and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album
Miami Heat Legend Dwyane Wade’s #OneLastDance Dominated February
Warriors Fans Go Wild After Unforgettable Moments and Gifts from Steph Curry
Eight Years Ago, the Nuggets Traded Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks
Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Superstar DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans
The NBA All-Star Game Will Be Competitive Again If the League Raises the Stakes

If the Sixers can’t get into their offensive actions quicker, they’ll be one step closer to the history books. There’s no explaining away a 3-0 collapse, especially when strategic tweaks can be readily made.

Mo Dakhil spent six years with the Los Angeles Clippers and two years with the San Antonio Spurs as a video coordinator, as well as three years with the Australian men’s national team. Follow him on Twitter, @MoDakhil_NBA.

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