The Philadelphia 76ers have picked up some impressive wins on the 2019-20 season including wins over the Boston Celtics on the road and wins over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Toronto Raptors, and the Miami Heat. However, they also have a lot of puzzling losses as well.
For example, Friday night they fell to the Orlando Magic who is a lesser opponent than some others. It is the second time the Sixers have lost to the Magic on the season and it raises some questions about who they really can be.
“I think we play to the level of our opponent whether that be a terrible team, a mediocre or the best team in the NBA,” said Tobias Harris. “I think that’s something we got to figure out as a unit of how we can play at a high level each and every night. Tonight, we didn’t do that.”
Orlando, a playoff team in 2019 and the current 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, played with a physicality that the Sixers did not match and it is a big concern for them moving forward.
“You have to give them credit, too,” Harris added. “They executed all night. They got what they wanted offensively. Defensively, they had a game plan on how they wanted to play us and I don’t think we did a good job of adapting to how they were playing us defensively.”
The disappointing thing is, the Sixers knew this coming into the matchup on Friday. They knew they struggled with lesser and mediocre opponents and they still did not come with the correct energy or the correct sense of urgency in order to get this one done.
“We knew the deal,” the veteran small forward added. “Every opponent offers a different aspect, a different element of the game and we got to find ways no matter what opponent it is to figure out ways to go to what will get us the victory and a win and tonight we didn’t stick to the script of what could have got us that.”
Harris had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Joel Embiid also had 24 and 11 boards to lead the Sixers, but it just was not enough. The team made 10 3-pointers, but really, five of them came in the final 1:29 in a desperate attempt to get back into the game.
Considering the trends of this team, they will come out strong on Saturday when they face the Miami Heat, but even if they do, it does not solve their issues of playing to the level of their opponent. No matter who it is, Philadelphia should be coming out strong each and every time.
It might be some time for some soul searching as they continue on this quest for a championship. [lawrence-related id=22299,22292,22277]