Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Brown has deep reservations about changing his rotations
CAMDEN, N.J. » Ever since it was clear that he had a likely playoff team, Brett Brown would regularly unload with one unwavering wail: It will be different in the spring.
Long an assistant to Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, where deep postseason runs were common, Brown understood that the NBA playoffs would be played differently, officiated differently and, it would seem, coached differently. Well … not so fast. Given that the Sixers very seldom lose, and understanding that the comfort of their rotations has yielded vital locker-room peace, Brown hinted Friday that he may not engage in the usual NBA coaching postseason custom of benchshortening.
“The game sort of speaks to you,” Brown said, after practice. “You go into it where I am going to try to do what we have been doing, then pivot out of it if I feel the need to.”
The first chance for that game-whispering will occur Saturday night at 8, when the Miami Heat visits the Wells Fargo Center for the Sixers’ first playoff game since 2012. Without Joel Embiid, who continues to recover from surgery on his left-eye orbital bone, Brown’s options will be fewer. They will not necessarily be limited.
Brown will start Amir Johnson at center until Embiid recovers. That could be an issue against roll-to-thebasket force Hassan Whiteside. With that, Brown’s pivoting could begin, with the option to pair Ersan Ilyasova and Dario Saric in the front court, a unit that has proven highly successful.
All Brown knows is that he is not going to change things just because he no longer has to brush the snow off his car on his way to the game.
“I always have to remind ourselves that we have won 16 games in a row,” Brown said. “We are 25-and-1 at home since Christmas. We’re doing OK. And to try to overthink it, especially in Game 1, is not going to happen. And we’re going to take this slow and be mindful of what got us here, who we are, and just continue to do it, and do it, as I say, harder, better, longer.”
The Sixers and Heat split the four-game season series, each winning their home games. Without Embiid as a deterrent, Whiteside could be a handful. And veteran combo guard Goran Dragic, 32, had one of his better seasons. Despite being slowed by a bruised knee, Dragic will play in Game 1.
With a young team, Brown is concerned about the experience of Miami, which can drag Dwyane Wade off the bench and expect at least some familiar Hall of Famelevel contributions.
“They played us hard this year,” J.J. Redick said. “They were physical with us, especially down in Miami. They run multiple actions on offense, so you really have to defend for the whole shot clock. They have a deep roster with a bunch of guys who play hard and play well together. It’s a huge challenge for us.”
For five years as the Sixers’ coach, Brown has sought a fast-paced offense, accurate ball-movement and precise three-point shooting. This season, he finally had the required personnel. And without Embiid for the last eight games, the Sixers played even faster and shot even quicker.
With Redick, Marco Belinelli, Saric, Robert Covington and Ilyasova, the Sixers can be magical from beyond the arc. That depth, and their passing, will be a challenge to the older Heat. So it follows that Brown will be open to going deep on his bench, to present multiple backcourt looks and to go small when necessary. If that means going three deep at point guard, with Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz and T.J. McConnell, he will do that too.
As he said, his team is doing “OK.” “The depth of the rotation, how many we play, that will evolve over the course of a series,” Brown said. “But to over-think it and try something that we really haven’t done, and we’ve had some recent success, would be a mistake.” EASTERN CONFERENCE No. 8 Washington vs. No. 1 Toronto » The Raptors (59-23) were consistent all season, rolling to the top record in the conference. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are a handful in the backcourt. Dwane Casey could edge Brett Brown for Coach of the Year. John Wall didn’t face the Raptors all season, yet Washington (43-39) won two of the four games. Traditionally, Wall has given Toronto problems. And Bradley Beal is a problem for everybody. The Wizards didn’t play well in the stretch. But Toronto has had years of playoff frustration. Get April Madness started quickly: Washington in six. No. 5 Indiana vs. No. 4 Cleveland » The Cavs (50-32) had significant in-season roster upheaval. Trouble for the Pacers is that LeBron James is still around. The Pacers (48-34) play fast and favor the three-ball. Victor Oladipo had a sensational season, but can he carry that through a tough playoff series? James has never been better. Kevin Love is back. And one of the NBA’s best-kept secrets is that Tyronn Lue is among its best, most prepared coaches. Cleveland may be at the end of its run. But James won’t let it end this early: Cavs in seven. No. 6 Miami vs. No. 3 Sixers » On a 16game winning streak, deep, and blessed with an unusually robust team spirit, the Sixers (52-30) are the team that no Eastern Conference opponent needed in the first round. The Heat (44-38), however, is not necessarily their ideal dance partner. Miami will look to control the flow, being more deliberate on offense than the Sixers prefer. Erik Spoelstra is no rookie coach; Pat Riley, from the top, will command excellence. Without Joel Embiid for at least one game and potentially the entire series, the Heat’s Hassan Whiteside will be an issue. And if Dwyane Wade thrives off the bench, Miami will stick around for a while. The Sixers, though, are too hot to be eliminated early. Their home-court edge is real. So is their confidence. They will be tested. That winning streak will go. But the Sixers will win in five. No. 7 Milwaukee vs. No. 2 Boston » The injury-troubled Celtics (55-27) suddenly became an appealing first-round opponent for the Bucks (44-38). Without Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart (hand) and Gordon Hayward, the Celtics are not what they were designed to be. They do, however, defend. The series will be trumpeted as a chance for the world to catch the spectacle that is MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. But over a long series, the Celtics will figure that out. Not that any team can’t toss in a bad game, but the Bucks were down 41 in the first half in Game 82 against the Sixers in a game they needed. In a season where they changed coaches, they will not be ready for this. Celtics in four. WESTERN CONFERENCE No. 8 Minnesota vs. No. 1 Houston » The Rockets (65-17) are expected to win it all, and they had their way with the Wolves (4735) in the regular season. The Wolves have some young talent, but are not playoff-deep. They were the one team in the tournament that was just relieved to be involved. That may be a value in one home game. James Harden is the presumptive MVP and the Rockets are convinced that this is their year. Houston in five. No. 5 Utah vs. No. 4 Oklahoma City » Like the Sixers, the Jazz (48-34) enter the playoffs sizzling and they defend as well as any team in the NBA. For that, they are a popular choice to pull a first-round upset. Even though the ballot box will have been closed, rookie Utah guard Donovan Mitchell will attempt to use the series to show why he believed he should have been Rookie of the Year. But in a long series against an opponent with Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George, experience will matter. Expect it to matter quickly: Thunder (48-34) in four. No. 6 New Orleans vs. No. 3 Portland » Both teams can score. Portland (49-33) defends better. Over the course of the series, which has a chance to be one of those ugly grind-it-out kind, that will matter, especially late in what should be close games. Anthony Davis, who averaged 28.1 points, can win any game by himself, and he will win one or two for the Pels (48-34). But Damian Lillard, who averaged 26.9, is a big-play scorer. Blazers in seven. No. 7 San Antonio vs. No. 2 Golden State » With no Steph Curry (knee) until at least the second round, the Warriors (58-24) will not be whole. With Kevin Durant, they don’t have to be this early in the postseason. Kawhi Leonard has missed most of the season with a quad injury and can’t be counted on for the first round. That leaves the Spurs (47-35) largely relying on culture, Gregg Popovich, whatever is left of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. LaMarcus Aldridge will score well enough to make a difference, but not enough: Golden State in five.