CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers are ironing out the little details that need to be addressed as they prepare for the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Sixers do not know who they will face in the second round, so staying ready is the biggest task.
PJ Tucker, who was brought to Philadelphia for the postseason, has been a steady presence for the Sixers all season. His voice has been loud all season, but it has gone up a few octaves during the playoffs. Even during this schedule lull, Tucker has been on the Sixers about the little things that need to be corrected.
“Today (Wednesday), he got angry in practice because it was sloppy and he went off when nobody else did,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Those are the things that people don’t — he just does so many things that are visible only to his team. That’s why you brought him here.”
Tucker has a championship on his resume during his time with the Milwaukee Bucks, and he was a big reason for the success the Miami Heat had in 2022. Now, he looks to share that message and set that tone for the Sixers.
“The biggest thing is he knows the little things matter,” Georges Niang said. “Some may look at it like ‘Oh, we have a week off. We can turn the ball over or toss the ball around.’ And he’s the one to be like ‘No, we’re working on building habits that are gonna pay off in the long run.’”
Tucker has been around the league for a long time, so he understands what needs to be done and how things need to be handled in order to win in the NBA. That type of experience and that type of presence is a really big help for this current group.
“PJ is really intelligent when it comes to knowing what little things matter,” Niang finished. “While other teams, they kinda look past it and think their talent will get them through that is where PJ is more or less like ‘We need to iron out the details and win the little details so when it does come time and we need it, we’ve practiced it over and over again and we know what we’re doing.’ ”
The Sixers begin the semifinals on May 1 against either the Boston Celtics or the Atlanta Hawks.
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