The last time the Philadelphia 76ers were involved in a Game 7 situation, it was the 2019 Eastern semifinals against the Toronto Raptors. They were right there in the waning moments of the fourth quarter before Kawhi Leonard broke their hearts with the most improbable shot ever seen at the buzzer.
That was on the road and the Sixers were a much younger and inexperienced team. That shot ended their title hopes and it looked like the Sixers could have had a real chance at winning it all in 2019 due to the injury problems to the Golden State Warriors.
Heading into Sunday’s Game 7 with the Atlanta Hawks, the shot by Leonard is still in the minds of the Sixers as they head into this one at home.
“It’s bad memories,” said Furkan Korkmaz. “It was one of those shots that heartbroken. Even right now when we talk about that shot, it’s still making me feel different, weird, badly, because I think if Kawhi didn’t make that shot, we had a chance with the title that year. I really believe it.”
While the 2019 Sixers had a legitimate chance at winning the title, this 2021 version has just as good of a chance, if not better.
“This year, I believe more, because I think we have a better fit as a team,” Korkmaz added. “We play more together and we have a bigger chance that’s why I’m so excited.”
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While the Sixers still have some younger players on the roster that they rely on such as Matisse Thybulle or Tyrese Maxey and they obviously don’t have experience in this type of situation yet, but there will not be much more motivation heading into Sunday. The only words they need to hear is the fact that it is Game 7 at home.
“It’s game 7,” Korkmaz added. “I don’t think there’s any extra motivation we need. We just need to go out there and play. We also watched the game yesterday, Brooklyn-Milwaukee, that was Game 7. That’s the reality. You just need to go out there and play physical as much as you can.”
Tip off from the Wells Fargo Center is set for 8:00 p.m. EDT.
“It doesn’t matter at this point how old you are or if you’re 35 or if you’re 20-years old, you just need to go out there and play,” Korkmaz finished. “When you see the results, no one’s gonna talk about all they were like 21-years old, 25-years old, 30-years old.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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