Unlike Recent Years, the Sixers Have Started Out Hot
Last year, after a depressing loss on opening night to the Celtics, Joel Embiid said, “This [Sixers versus Celtics] is not a rivalry…they always kick our a**.”
Well, let the rivalry officially begin.
The Sixers put together a convincing win in their home opener against the Boston Celtics, followed up by a solid comeback win in Detroit over the Pistons.
For the first time since the 2013-2014 NBA season, the team has won their first two games of the season and is already creating positive momentum.
Over the past few years, Sixers fans have watched their team get off to cold starts. Obviously, though The Process wins were few and far in-between anyway. But even during the past two 50-win seasons, the team has looked sloppy out of the gates.
In both of the last two seasons, the Sixers have struggled shooting the basketball from day one. This is a natural occurrence as players take a couple of weeks of real game action, but before this season, the Sixers did not have as much to lean on when shooting was not working.
This year, the Sixers will be able to rely on their defense to make up for inconsistent shooting. In the opener against the Celtics, the Sixers only shot 43% overall and 24% from the three-point line. They were able to stay in the game thanks to an improved defensive unit. They held the Celtics to only 37% shooting, enabling them to pull out the win.
Over the past couple of seasons, when they did not shoot at least adequately, the Sixers struggled to find ways to win games. But with defense being this year’s team identity, Joel Embiid and crew have something to hang their hat on even without quality shooting every single night.
In game two against the Pistons, the Sixers dug themselves a 13-point hole early in the third quarter. After a timeout at around the 9-minute mark of that quarter, the Sixers immediately came back out and executed two perfect set plays for easy dunks.
Continuously, fans complained about the team’s inability to execute out of the timeout. It was a problem that arguably cost them in the playoffs against the Raptors as well. Already this season, with the composure of veterans like Al Horford and the increased experience of Ben Simmons, the team showed the ability to execute and not force bad shots when trailing.
Another large issue last year was the Sixers’ inability to play strong third quarters and pull out close games. However, already this season, the Sixers have shown an increased maturity level down the stretch. They have outscored their opponents by a combined 22 points in the second half. In the Celtics game, the third quarter was not a weakness, rather it the catalyst that enabled them to pull out the win.
As Sixers fans, there is not much more you could ask for from this group after the first two. Of course, Joel Embiid’s nagging ankle injury is concerning, but what was evident from the Pistons game is that Al Horford will indeed be a more than an adequate backup in Embiid’s absence.
While playing center against Detroit, Horford held All-Star Andre Drummond to only 13 points and by playing physical on offense, he forced the big man to foul out as well.
Although it is obviously early in the season, the mental growth of Ben Simmons and the effects of defensive studs Josh Richardson and Al Horford are already very evident.
With 8 of their next 11 on the road, it will be crucial for the Sixers to keep up the defensive intensity. Hopefully, the hot start can continue.
Featured Image: Philadelphia Inquirer
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