The loss could come earlier in the playoffs than is typical in this era Philadelphia 76ers, but unlike previous years, this is nothing to be ashamed of. No All-Stars passed the wideouts, no future Hall-of-Famers had no playoff appearances, no postgame coaching questions, no players. Which player was thrown under the bus?
The only strange thing about the Sixers’ loss this time is that they came unusually close to not losing. They scored 649 points in six matches against New York Knicks — they gave up 650. Three of their losses were by three runs. The fourth time was at five o’clock. And that’s it Joel Embiid still working his way back from injury and playing through Bell’s palsy.
“This series could have gone exactly the opposite way it did,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse told reporters Thursday night after his team’s heartbreaking 118-115 Game 6 loss . “But it didn’t.”
This series feels more like a conference finals than a first-round game. And that might have been a good thing if Embiid hadn’t missed more than half the season with a meniscus injury. That’s the important part to remember when thinking about these Sixers and where they go from here, as well as why another early postseason exit — the Sixers haven’t made it to the conference finals since 2001 – is not something to worry about. At least not yet.
The Sixers’ season ended in the fourth quarter of their Jan. 30 game against the team Golden Empire Warriors. That was the night Embiid suffered a meniscus injury that forced him to undergo surgery and keep him out of action until early April. Embiid at the time was averaging over 35 points per game and over a point per minute, something that had only happened once in NBA history (Wilt Chamberlain during the 1961-1962 season).
The Sixers won 31 of 39 regular-season games in which Embiid and Tyrese Maxey play. We know what Embiid is when healthy. And after averaging 29.8 points and 6.8 assists in six games with that thing The Knicks defend, and in doing so at age 23, we’ve seen what Maxey can do when given the reins of an offense in the playoffs. The Embiid-Maxey combination is as good a one-two punch as there is in the NBA.
That’s good news. The bad news is that time is running out for the Sixers and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey to surround them, especially Embiid, with the right players. In fact, this season could be the franchise’s last chance.
The Sixers will enter the summer with about $60 million in cap space, which won’t be the case in the coming years after Maxey, a restricted free agent, extended a max extension with the Sixers over the summer This. They will also likely trade five first-round picks.
Who will they marry? The better question is: Who Maybe do they receive? The top potential free agents are LeBron James, Paul George, OG Anunoby And Pascal Siakam. It would be amazing if Anunoby and Siakam didn’t re-sign with their current teams and LeBron wouldn’t go to Philly.
George is the team’s top target, and in fact he has yet to sign an extension with the team. LA cutter even though Kawhi Leonard did so, certainly raising eyebrows across the NBA. He would fit perfectly next to Maxey and Embiid, even if he’s at an age (34) that could see some struggles following that deal. Most league executives expect him to eventually re-sign with the Clippers (he’s a California native; it’s hard to imagine Clippers owner Steve Ballmer letting him go) but if If the Sixers get him back, they’ll be instant championship contenders.
The Sixers are also betting that other stars will break free, and once that happens, they are best positioned to attack. And they may be right. Things in Phoenix seem to be getting difficult. Maybe the Cavs decided it was time to bid farewell to their backcourt. Maybe the Pelicans decide to move on Brandon Ingram. In the NBA, betting on chaos is often a profitable bet.
If all else fails, Morey can simply use cap space and trade assets to add a slew of two-way players and bolster depth around his star duo. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope there’s a player option he’d probably turn down — he’d fit perfectly next to Maxey and Embiid. DeMar DeRozan will be very interesting. There are certainly other players that could be attracted through deals. A few more like that, bringing in free agents like Nic Batum and DeAnthony Melton and suddenly you have the best lineup of Embiid’s career.
The Sixers entered the season with championship hopes. They failed again, but this time things were different.
“We have some work to do, especially this summer,” Nurse said. “I definitely like where we’re going.”
Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports and an author Reaching the top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the boldest run in professional sports history. Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.
Joel Embiid
Philadelphia 76ers
National Basketball Association
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