Three Normal Playoff Things: Sixers vs. Hawks Game One
Three normal things.
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He has been legally banned from covering the team in person, and when that ban was set to be lifted, Covid-19 struck. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
Welcome to Three Normal Things: round two edition. I have a feeling this one might be a bit more negative than most.
#1: Trae Young goes nuclear
Trae Young showed in Atlanta’s first-round series against the New York Knicks that he is not to be messed with. Unfortunately, the Sixers learned that the hard way.
From the outset, Young was in complete control of the game. He dictated the pace and parlayed the attention defenses gave him into a marvelous performance as a passer. On seemingly every play, Young would be crowded and somehow still find an open man, even one that is typically a few passes away. And when he didn’t pass, he was knocking down a long three.
Danny Green was the primary defender during Young’s hot start, and it was clear from the very beginning that he lacked the lateral quickness to stay with Trae. When Ben Simmons picked him up at the start of the second half, he immediately drew two fouls on Simmons and put the Sixers’ ace defender in foul trouble
The only way you can put it is that Trae Young has mastered offense. It’s that simple.
#2: First half turnover issues
The Sixers turned the ball over 12 times in the first 14 minutes of today’s game. The Hawks shot nine more three-point attempts than the Sixers in the first half, and it’s in large part due to how many more opportunities the Hawks had to generate good looks.
Every time the Sixers seemed to have some momentum, they’d throw it away with a silly turnover.Â
When a team can shoot the way this Hawks group can, you absolutely cannot afford to give them extra possessions. But that’s exactly what the Sixers did. Moving forward, taking care of the ball has to be among the top priorities as an offense.
#3: Doc has some issues
Something that has always fascinated me is how coaches design their rotations and substitution patterns -- something I track consistently (I’m sick in the head). Today, Doc Rivers did just about everything he could to discourage me.
Rivers’ first mistake came in the first quarter, when he employed an all-bench lineup that Young and the Hawks tore into pieces. Then came his decision to play Danny Green as Young’s primary defender, which helped spark Trae’s ridiculous performance.
In the fourth quarter, when the Sixers finally had some glimmer of hope, Doc took way too long to reinsert his starters -- notably, Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris. Rivers also went to an ice cold Shake Milton, who had not played all day, with 10 minutes remaining in the game. Shake was brutal, as he’s been for a while now.
One game is just that: one game. But there are many reasons for concern, despite how good this team is. Soon, we’ll see how they respond.