The Philadelphia 76ers have been off since May 16 when they finished up the regular season with a 49-23 record as the No. 1 seed in the East. They have been working on getting ready for what they hope will be a deep playoff run, but there has not been a Round 1 opponent to prepare for until Thursday.
The Sixers will be taking on Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal, and the Washington Wizards in Round 1 beginning on Sunday in Philadelphia. Now that they know exactly what they are preparing for, practices can get a little easier knowing that they can get specific.
“I just wanted an opponent and now that we know one, and who they are, we can prepare for them,” said coach Doc Rivers. “The Wizards pose problems. They’re a fantastic offensive team. I think Scotty Brooks, people forget where they were after 15 games and then where they ended up so the turnaround job that Scotty Brooks has done should be mentioned and talked about more because they’ve done a heck of a job.”
Rivers is not wrong about Washington’s turnaround. The Wizards were once 17-32 and all seemed lost, but they then turned it around thanks to the fantastic play of Westbrook and Beal to get in as the No. 8 seed in the East.
“We just got to come prepared,” said Ben Simmons. “We got to stay locked in, we got to buy into what we’re doing out there and be consistent.”
It helps a rookie like Tyrese Maxey to be able to now have an idea of what he is preparing for. This will obviously be his first run into the playoffs and he now has to be ready for the challenge of the explosive Washington guards.
“That’s extremely helpful now that we know who we’re playing and who the competition will be,” Maxey said. “What I’m going to do is sit down and watch film on guys that I may have to guard and look at the different guards, look at the different actions they like, and try to take away their tendencies when I’m able to go the floor. That’s pretty much it. Start preparing and get ready for this challenge.”
The Sixers and the Wizards tip off at 1 p.m. EDT from Wells Fargo Center.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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