By now, everybody has given their thoughts and opinion on the Philadelphia 76ers as they were swept out of Round 1 to the Boston Celtics. It was a disappointing finish to an overall frustrating season for the Sixers.
They played Round 1 without the help of Ben Simmons and that definitely played a role in them being swept. They missed the elite play he brings on the defensive end and the ability to push the ball in transition and finish at the rim on offense. If a team is missing its best player, things like this happen.
However, even without Simmons, it is unacceptable to be swept in the first round of the playoffs. Especially against the rival Celtics, no less.
“It’s tough. Philly fans know what this rivalry means,” said young Shake Milton. “I know how deep it rides in your blood and your veins. Each one of us have to go into the offseason knowing what happened and letting it fuel us to be better.”
Two huge issues in that series, other than Philadelphia’s lack of shooting, was the fact that the Sixers had trouble away from Wells Fargo Center and Boston was getting to a lot of rebounds. Due to being in the bubble, the Sixers were not able to have a traditional home game in Games 3 and 4 and that was a big problem.
“I’m still puzzled how we can be 29-2 at Wells Fargo Center and it’s puzzling how we can play so poorly on the road and have a dud in the first round of the playoffs,” pondered general manager Elton Brand. “Of course, not having Ben Simmons who led the NBA in steals, top 5 in deflections, and the way he gets penetration and finishes at the rim, it would’ve helped us a lot. That hurt not having Ben, but I don’t want to make excuses there. I’m making a thorough assessment on how to make this team better and move to the next phase.”
The Sixers now have to figure out what the best move is going forward to help the franchise get back on the path of contending for a championship. [lawrence-related id=37241,37238,37234]