Co-Written by Spencer Wood and Grayson Obey
It was another great day in the Association as we got to witness two entertaining series in Philly/Brooklyn and Golden State/Sacramento. Both playoff series yielded their own personal drama, and the extra emotional factor has given these games an even deeper meaning for the competing ball clubs as they seek to gain the upper hand in their best-of-7 matchups. Stay tuned as we start to pick away at what kept all eyes on yesterday’s Playoff slate.
Philly Philly Philly, Can’t You See?
Sometimes the early doubles hypnotized me. The upstart Brooklyn Nets have been a story to follow throughout their series, and are doing their best to let the world know that they’re there to compete as long as they’re given the opportunity to play. The 76ers switched up some tactics in this game, and at times it was hard to gauge what Coach Doc Rivers and his support staff were trying to do, before ultimately going back to their game plan that worked in Game 1 of the series.
Brooklyn came in determined to double and blitz MVP-candidate Embiid early and often again in Game 2 and managed to hold him to 6 points in the 1st Quarter, along with just 2 points from their other star, James Harden. In fact, Embiid was not only hindered by the double team early, it made him pass before a double had even had a chance to close in on him, leading to a huge loss in production that we’re used to with Joel. The Nets played fast and kept this one tight from the beginning with big buckets from Cam Johnson, who collected 10 early points. Philly went cold in the 2nd and Brooklyn pulled ahead briefly, but after halftime, it was all Philly. With the focus on Embiid and Harden, the 76ers leaned on Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris to produce, and that they did. Maxey scored 18 of his 33 points in the second half, and Harris finished with 13 of his 20 in the second half.
“Hats off to Joel man, to be someone that’s so dominant and get trapped every single play and still be able to make the right basketball play, that was big time of him”
– Tyrese Maxey
Embiid’s ability to trust his teammates, make the right decisions, and find his teammates despite the constant pressure placed upon him, got his team a W, and he finished with 20 points and 7 assists. It was again clear in Game 2 that his size and strength was something Brooklyn could not handle, as he also racked in 19 boards and 3 blocks. This, along with 12 boards from Tobias Harris, helped the 76ers win the rebound battle again, 56-33. Beyond the starters 76ers also saw solid minutes again from Paul Reed when Embiid was off the floor. B-Ball Paul provided energy and physicality in his 11 minutes, providing 6 points, 3 rebounds and a block.
Brooklyn’s strategy of forcing Philly to play through its role players failed to get them the W in Game 2, but highlighted weaknesses in their game. They forced Joel Embiid into 8 turnovers, and held James Harden to a quiet 8, 5, and 7 with 5 turnovers. With the exception of Maxey and Harris, the 76ers supporting crew only provided 15 points, with P.J. Tucker and Jalen McDaniels combining to go 0-8 from the field. Continuing to find ways to force Embiid to play make for others instead of score himself, may still be key to getting a win, but will require scoring contributions from anyone not named Cam Johnson or Mikal Bridges, who continued to shine in their new homes, with 28/4/1 and 21/5/7, respectively. Spencer Dinwiddie provided 12 points, but Nic Claxton and Joe Harris did not score, and Claxton only brought in 6 rebounds.
Game 3 heads to Brooklyn, where the Nets will again hope to fight off Embiid and end the 6 game losing streak against the 76ers this season and their 6 game losing streak in the playoffs. -GO
Photo from the Philadelphia Inquirer
As the Kings Rise Up, Warriors Stomp Down
In what is currently the best series to watch in the Playoffs, the Kings and Warriors are adamant in their ability to show us some of the highest highs of the game. No other series has had the level of shock and awe as this one, especially as the curtain begins to close in the 4th quarter. That being said, there were plenty examples of non-basketball events that occurred during the game, and after a scuffle between teams that resulted in flagrant fouls and an ejection, we can all see the tangible emotion running high amongst the reigning champions and the new Kings on the Block.
In what was an extremely sloppy start for the Sacramento Kings, the Warriors managed to capitalize on mental lapses and poor decision making to force the Kings to force shots and turn the ball over repeatedly early in the game.
This did not last for long. After the first quarter concluded, the Kings came storming back, and punished Golden State thanks to their superb shooting and athleticism that has catapulted Sacramento into one of the greatest offenses this league has known.
After heading into the half with a 6 point lead, Sacramento continued their new sense of play quickly once they returned to the court. They gave Golden State a taste of their own medicine by quickly forcing the ball inside to draw contact, and soon after, the Warriors found themselves out of fouls to give less than 2 minutes into the 2nd half. This was most notably seen in Draymond Green, who picked up 4 and was forced to sit early once the break ended. Despite the best efforts of Warriors lockdown man Andrew Wiggins guarding Fox, he still managed to set up his teammates with pass-to-assists and by drawing much of the attention of the defense on his own.
Golden State would go on to have a massive late 3rd quarter run, and kept themselves in the game despite the overwhelming onslaught brought by the Kings. The battle continued to be tight as the 4th quarter was underway, and I’m unsure if I’ve heard an arena as alive as the Golden 1 Center in a long while.
And that is when everything fell apart for the Warriors. After a missed Kings FG attempt, Draymond Green found himself standing over Domantas Sabonis, who had fallen to the floor during the race for the board. As Draymond stepped over Sabonis to get back out on transition, the center grabbed hold of Green’s ankle, to which Draymond responded with a resounding stomp to Sabonis’s ribs. After a long review, the officials ruled to give Draymond a flagrant 2, which ended his game early with an ejection. Sabonis was able to stay in the game with a Flagrant 1 being assessed to him for the contest.
Golden State was left without one of their main initiators on offense and their defensive anchor, and were unable to hold back the probable Clutch Player of the Year De’Aaron Fox and the Kings offense, and fell to 0-2 in the series. Time will tell if these types of events will play into the Warriors upcoming decision to resign Green, whose antics in the playoffs have harmed them in the past, most notably with his ejection in a pivotal game in the 2016 Finals. The two teams will meet again Thursday Night in San Francisco, where the Warriors will be hoping their home arena gives them the extra boost needed to prevent them from falling to 0-3 in the series, or even worse, swept in the 1st round as the defending champs. -SW
” I got grabbed, second time in two nights, referees just watching. I gotta land my foot somewhere… I can only step so far (with Sabonis) pulling my leg away, it is what it is.”
Draymond Green on what happened that night
Spencer Wood 