Limiting the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference won’t come down to only one player, interim Hawks coach Nate McMillan knows.
But, center Joel Embiid (28.5 points, 10.6 rebounds per game in the regular season) is a huge factor in Philadelphia’s success. As of Saturday, it’s not clear whether Embiid will be available (or to what extent he’d play, if so) in the No. 5-seed Hawks’ matchup with the 76ers in the conference semifinals, which begins Sunday. He’s still “day to day” with a meniscus tear in his right knee.
“It’s not one guy,” McMillan said. “One guy doesn’t make that happen. … They are big, they are physical and they’re fast.”
Leading into Game 1, the Hawks are preparing as if Embiid will play, and will make adjustments if he doesn’t. Having just polished off the No. 4-seed Knicks in dominating fashion, the Hawks are underdogs in this series, though the teams are much closer if Embiid can’t go. If Embiid does play, it obviously changes the dynamic of the game, as he will command so much attention in the paint. The Hawks aim to be ready either way.
“Obviously, the game becomes a lot more fast-paced. The ball tends to move more, a lot more shots from the perimeter. … You’re not throwing it down to the big fella and letting him try to go eat,” power forward John Collins said. “So it just changes our thought process as well. We’ve just got to be ready for both.”
In some ways, stylistically, the 76ers have a similar game to New York, McMillan pointed out.
But they have better shooting, with Tobias Harris (6-foot-8) adding nearly 20 points per game, Shake Milton (6-5) adding 13 and Seth Curry (6-2) adding 12.5 (shooting 45% from 3-point range). There’s also Ben Simmons (6-11), who can play all over the floor and present numerous matchup problems, with 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.6 steals. Simmons is particularly tricky, as a tough defender who can push the pace when bringing the ball up on offense.
The 76ers finished the regular season with the No. 2 defensive rating in the NBA (107), scoring the fourth-most off opponents’ turnovers (18.1 points).
“They are bigger than New York,” McMillan said. “I think they could be even more physical out there on the floor. They have a lot of length. Defensively, they are really good, in the sense that they fight you, they battle you, they touch you, they’re very physical defenders. … Offensively, they are going to attack you in the paint with post-ups, offensive rebounding. So what I see with this team is a very, very good defense that’s physical. Offensively, they have size where they can attack you in the paint, with post-ups. They have perimeter shooting that can burn you from the 3-point line.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
So far in the playoffs, the 76ers have the fastest pace (102.6 possessions per game). Just like with the Knicks, this is another series where video from the regular season isn’t all that helpful, with Philly missing Simmons, Harris, Milton and standout defender Matisse Thybulle when the Hawks won 112-94 on Jan. 11. Then, Trae Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter and De’Andre Hunter were out for the Hawks when the 76ers blew them out 127-83 on April 28. On April 30, Bogdanovic, Huerter and Hunter were again out for another blowout loss, 126-104.
It’s apparent that limiting Philly in transition will be key, as will taking care of the ball (76ers opponents averaged 15.6 turnovers in the regular season, the second-most in the league). The Hawks averaged 10.8 turnovers vs. the Knicks, the third-fewest in the playoffs, and will need to keep it that way.
“We’re trying to play fast, and we know they’re long and athletic. We just have to take care of the ball, as simple as that,” said Bogdanovic, now healthy and a key cog in the Hawks’ backcourt. “Make sure when we’re passing the ball to not be sloppy, to be on point, to hit a player in the chest and that type of stuff. To be even more locked in because we know they can go off in transition. They have shooters around Ben. Ben is pushing the ball, and that’s tough to guard, especially after turnovers. … For sure, that’s one of the points we have to get better at.”
About the Author
