Ban Game Ones: Sixers Drop Tight First Game of Milwaukee Series

Maybe they should just start staying home for game one.

[photo: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images]

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Well, at least it was close this time. It's the fifth straight playoff series that the Sixers have begun down 1-0 -- the last time (and only time this decade) that they won a Game One was against Miami in the 2018 first round. But unlike their other four most recent series-opening losses (as well as the Sixers' two visits to Milwaukee this regular season), the final deficit was single digits, and the game winnable until the final minutes. The Bucks executed down the stretch, however, while the Sixers came up a couple plays short, and Milwaukee took Game One by a score of 113-108.  

Predictably, Giannis Antetokounmpo was a problem. Brett Brown opted to begin the series with a relatively traditional defensive strategy, putting Joel Embiid on Brook Lopez and Ben Simmons on Giannis. But as big and strong as Ben is, the presumptive MVP has a way of making him look like Earl Boykins at times, muscling him down, shooting over him, and sometimes just blowing past him. Simmons put up a fight, and was able to force Giannis into his jumper a handful of times -- a couple of which he still hit -- but there's only so much he can do without fouling. Giannis ended up matching his number, with 34 on 11-20 shooting, to go with 11 rebounds and six assists. 

And yet, he might not even be the biggest matchup problem the Sixers have in this series. With Ben stuck on Giannis, the now-healthy Khris Middleton absolutely lit up the Sixers' wing combo of Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle, scorching the nets to the tune of 33 points on 13-24 shooting, Tobias getting burned is no huge surprise, but there was some hope that Thybulle's being unleashed as the Sixers' fifth starter and go-to defensive terror in the Miami series might have meant he could be relied on for the big assignment in this series. Turns out, though, there's a difference between guarding a catch-and-shoot gunner like Duncan Robinson and a three-level threat like Middleton -- who was able to catch Thybulle leaning and jumping a couple times, just generally out-crafting the rook. 

Still, despite allowing the Bucks' two best players to go off for 30-plus, the Sixers really hung in this one. The Bucks' role players were mostly unable to get loose from three, with the team going just 12-38 on the night, as the defensive pressure on the perimeter was considerable. Meanwhile, the Sixers' own shooters -- Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, Tobias Harris -- got off some pretty clean looks from deep, many spoonfed through Ben's half-court vision. Joel didn't have his best game or his worst game, but he made the plays he needed to (particularly in the third, so often the quarter where the Sixers let things slip away), ending the night with 25 and 12. 

Down six after three, the Sixers battled back to briefly take the lead with 3:30 to go, before a Middleton three quickly recaptured it for Milwaukee, and they never trailed again. But the Sixers did get the ball down three with 52 seconds to go, and a clever misdirection play with Ben screening for Joel ended up with Jo kicking the ball to a lightly contested Furkan in the corner... and the shot just didn't go for Furk this time, bouncing around and out. (Considering the electric Game 7 he had -- and how he usually is about as good at following up his own success as Eiffel 65 -- we should probably feel lucky that he did still score ten points on the night.) 

Our friends Amos Lee and Mutlu are stuck at home like the rest of us. They joined us for a monster podcast talking about whether Joel and Ben will ever get it together, their friendship, drinking and sobriety, the future of music and how it finds a way through Covid-19, the best TV theme songs of all time, Mutlu's love for 94WIP and a lot more.

So, a loss... and losses are bad, particularly in the playoffs, as I'm led to understand... but maybe not a totally discouraging one? I don't know -- honestly, it's been such a long time since we had a loss that didn't feel like a referendum on all things wrong with the Sixers that I straight-up don't remember how we're supposed to react to a close, reasonable loss to a better team on the road. There are definitely no moral victories in the postseason, but I guess it can't help but feel kinda nice to have a loss that doesn't feel like two losses for once? Refreshing almost? Is this really where we are with these Sixers? How have we really followed this basketball team all year?? 

More important than these questions -- maybe -- is the Q of what defensive and/or lineup adjustments Brett will make in Game Two. We still got that other big guy on the bench -- the one who we brought here almost specifically to properly deal with Giannis and the Bucks -- and indeed, inserting Al Horford (11 and 5 on 4-9 shooting in this one) on Lopez would free JoJo to guard Giannis, while maybe Simmons could find better luck chasing around Khris Middleton. But would doing so sacrifice the delicate offensive chemistry the Sixers have achieved with Simmons back in the lineup and Thybulle (a reasonable, if unremarkable 8-24 from three in the playoffs so far) stretching the floor?

"Yeah, you know, we'll look at it tomorrow," Brett responded casually to post-game questions on this topic, his beard somehow already starting to grow back to its near-usual level of frostiness. "We still like the energy that Matisse gives us in that starting five, and Al's gotten into a pretty good groove off the bench the last few games. But against the size, strength and skill of this Milwaukee team... you better believe we'll look at all options. And the great thing about having a veteran, a pro's pro like Al there on the bench, is that you know he'll stay ready regardless, and rise to whatever task we end up giving him." (Sixers Twitter could not be reached for comment on that last quote.) 

The feelings among the Sixers players after the game was similarly chill, in comparison with the shellshocked locker room after the three double-digit losses to Miami. Maybe the guys were just glad not to have to answer any questions about Jimmy Butler after a game for once, but Embiid seemed jovial, almost cocky in his post-game interview: "Great game tonight. We maybe thought we had them late, but they made some big plays when it counted, and we came up just a little short. But I think we all know that we're in the same class as these guys, and tonight we proved it. I'm looking forward to Game Two." 

Well, maybe let's not get too too comfortable with our negative one to zero series lead just yet, guys -- but generally, it's nice to see that the team seems to have a good level of confidence in this matchup. (I guess vanquishing a primary foe with a 28-point Game 7 blowout victory will do that for you.) Game Two is coming up on Friday, and while the prospect of actually winning a road game in this series remains daunting, the Sixers played Game One to a near draw and still have cards left to play in the overall matchup. Though they may never win a Game One again, the Sixers have actually won their last three Game Twos, meaning both good vibes and historical precedent will be on our side at the Fiserv.Net.Forum tomorrow night. Let's get that split and get back to the booing confines of Philly.