USA TODAY International Edition
Sixers make dramatic point
The dramatic game- winner captured Tobias Harris’ strong conviction in both his skills and how he handles pressure. Harris drilled a 15- foot jumper to lift the 76ers to a 107- 106 win over the Lakers on Wednesday in Philadelphia.
“That’s a shot I work on time and time again,” Harris said. “In those moments it’s being confident enough to let it go and being OK with the result.”
The Sixers seemed elated with the result. Philadelphia ( 13- 6) beat a Lakers team ( 14- 5) that has stood atop the Western Conference all season, had won all 10 of its road games and has shown little sign of slowing down after winning the NBA championship just 3 1⁄ months ago.
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“It’s huge. You got the best team with the best record in the league and they’re the defending champs,” Sixers center Joel Embiid said. “It’s going to give us a lot of confidence for the next couple of games.”
Yet how the Sixers beat the Lakers will also give them something to think about these next couple of games and beyond. When assessing their big- picture potential, will Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers focus on the bottom- line result, the quality of opponent and Harris’ game- winner? Or will he become consumed with the fact that the Sixers nearly squandered a 16- point lead?
“I’m a coach, so it’s obviously the latter,” Rivers said. “Not to take anything from them, but I thought it was more self- inflicted.”
All of which makes the Sixers’ identity an interesting puzzle to figure out.
Do they have the right personnel and makeup to remain the Eastern Conference’s best team as their record indicates? Or does their roster still need to prove it can stay durable and maximize its chemistry?
“We have the potential,” said forward Danny Green. “We have a chance. We have the talent. We have the pieces.” The Sixers sure do.
They have Embiid, who has posted career highs this season in points per game ( 27.7), field goal percentage ( 54.6%), 3- point percentage ( 40%), free throw shooting ( 83.4%) and steals per game ( 1.2). They have Ben Simmons, whose positional versatility and playmaking leaves Rivers impressed despite
a career low in scoring ( 13 points per game). They have a potential third AllStar in Harris, whose past stint with Rivers on the Clippers has partly contributed to his ability to expand his game and find the right spots on the floor to become dangerous. They have more shooters ( Seth Curry, Green) and defenders ( Matisse Thybulle) to make it easier for Embiid and Simmons to operate.
Perhaps that explains why Sixers President Daryl Morey resisted the temptation to reunite with James Harden when he demanded the Rockets trade him. Perhaps that explains why Lakers forward LeBron James views the Sixers as a formidable NBA Finals threat after losing to them.
“We’ll see how the season goes on,” James said. “There’s going to be a lot of teams in the Eastern Conference that will be playing championship basketball down the stretch. I know I believe that they are one of those teams.”
But can the Sixers beat the other teams?
The Celtics have a young core that has shown continuous improvement in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, but they lost Gordon Hay
ward in free agency and Kemba Walker has nursed various injuries. The Bucks have the two- time defending regularseason MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo and improved depth with Jrue Holiday’s arrival. But Antetokounmpo has regressed statistically this season and has struggled in the two past postseasons. The Nets have three of the most lethal scorers and playmakers in Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. But they have little to offer on defense, and Harden and Irving could eventually have tension over shots.
Meanwhile, the Sixers have a coach who knows how to motivate his players, a star tandem intent on improving its chemistry and a supporting cast that could make it easier for Philadelphia to trust the process.
“We feel like we have enough to get it done to come out of the East,” Green said. “Then to face against any of those Western teams, we have the depth.”
Yet the Sixers have shown they might not have enough depth.
The Sixers lost all four of their games that Embiid missed with a back injury. The Lakers’ comeback coincided with Embiid taking a fall after some physical play from James that Embiid contended
should have been a flagrant 2 foul. And as much as Dwight Howard resuscitated his career last season with the Lakers, he doesn’t have what it takes to mirror what he once was as a perennial AllStar.
Simmons’ value will always come from his intangibles. But he has not shown much willingness to become a shooting threat. Home- court advantage has become a moot point in a season with little to no fans in the building, but the Sixers have been different teams at home ( 10- 1) and on the road ( 3- 5). And although all teams are vulnerable to diminished depth charts because of the pandemic, the Sixers played two games with barely enough healthy players on their roster.
So when Harris made the dramatic shot, the Sixers had two different feelings. They seemed relieved it covered up a past mistake where James found an open Anthony Davis for an easy layup on the previous possession. The 76ers also seem convinced they have what it takes to be resilient through various pitfalls.
“It says we’re a good team,” Rivers said. “It shows we’re really good, but we have a lot of work still.”