The Sixers are 11-5, sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference, despite a gang of structural changes, COVID-related disruptions in their season and some notable strikes in the early weeks of the Doc Rivers era. Their attack is clicking, their execution in time of crisis was excellent, and they closed a miniseries against the Boston Celtics with a two-game sweep on Friday night, advancing to 6-0 in the new series format this season.
Philadelphia is flying high, and it starts with the partnership being built between Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
“I think that during the game, we both see different things,” Simmons told reporters Friday night. “For Jo and me, it’s a relationship that continues to grow. We talk a lot more now, in terms of being on the ground and certain things we say, knowing where he wants the ball, all the sets and just getting a good flow of the game and trying to read it the right way. “
In the first three quarters of Friday’s game against Boston, it was Joel Embiid’s show, even though the franchise center struggled with problems for most of the night. These Celtics proved to be ill-equipped to defend him – the big man scored 80 points in two games in just 34 attempts, brutalizing his front line and setting off in a one-man march to the stripe, much to the dismay of Celtics guardian Marcus Smart.
Simmons, as has so often been the case this season, was an offensive passenger most of the night, concentrating his energy on jumping from Kemba Walker to Jaylen Brown to Marcus Smart and putting out fires on the defensive end. It’s hard to say that it’s a thankless job, since Simmons continues to get buzz from the All-Defense level for his work there, but it’s certainly the least glamorous job, you Tue do to do what you would you like do it.
Then came the fourth time, with Philadelphia allowing Boston to recover in three, after a Jaylen Brown three around the five-minute mark. A personal run by Simmons, punctuated by a robbery and hitting a lazy pass from Smart, pushed the lead to eight and the game out of reach, never in danger the rest of the way.
The Sixers have been an absolute steamroller in clutch situations, beating teams by 37.5 points per 100 possessions according to the NBA statistics database, etThe Embiid-Simmons defensive column has been a sight to behold. They did not always shine simultaneously during the middle of the games, but they were totally demonic in difficult times, playing against each other to completely stop play and stimulate racing in Philadelphia.
Embiid sees everything from his position at the rear of the defense, and his running mate’s game does not lose to the MVP candidate.
“This fourth period starts at the defensive end and he was a monster,” said Embiid. “He got a lot of steals and then in the middle of the pick and roll court he was attacking, he was aggressive and making plays. He scored some baskets, he was great tonight.”
Recognition of the game’s flow was one of many positive developments for Embiid this year. When Simmons started moving in the fourth quarter, Doc Rivers told reporters, it was Embiid who he asked to run more pick-and-roll on the stretch, standing on his side in the middle of a 38-point explosion to let his hot hand grab the steering wheel. The coach believes that this sends a powerful message to everyone on the team, and the results speak for themselves, with Simmons scoring 11 goals in the final period to put the game aside.
Understanding and feeding the right guy at the right time is traditionally considered the job of the owner, something that Simmons has taken seriously since the beginning of his career. But Rivers’ message from the first day of camp was for the entire team to embrace the score by all means necessary, through whoever has the best chance to help them win. This requires self-assessment at all times, before, during and after games, win or lose.
Embiid and Simmons maintained an open line of dialogue this season, something that both men seem to appreciate as a positive influence on how they play together.
“The other day he texted me and said, ‘I missed you many times in your ducklings. I will find you. ‘ Little things like that continue to help the team’s chemistry grow, “Simmons said on Friday.” And it just shows that the guys are willing to make moves. Even if the guys don’t make the right pass or miss something, they want to make the right moves and things like that. Therefore, our relationship continues to grow. “
Analyzing their relationship has always been a struggle over the years. It is no small thing to say that they have never been best friends, or that they do not fit the offensive perfectly. They are young people with close circles who are in the process of opening their professional paths. There have been dramatizations of the dynamics over the years, but it is also true that Embiid has done everything but beg Simmons to shoot when asked about it during media availability, aware of the impact it has on the entire team. Organizationally, the Sixers were prepared to trade Simmons in order to make a move to seek more immediate gains around Embiid. These facts are not going to go away.
This did not stop them from making the best of this situation. Identifying the exact cause is beyond my capacity and is probably a combination of dozens of factors, whether you want to credit the improved squad around them, the influence of a new coaching staff or the natural maturity of two young people. But they themselves will tell you that this is not the same old story.
“This year was different. This year I can’t even explain it,” said Embiid. “I love playing with him and I’m sure he loves playing with me too, and it’s just, I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s been fun. Having someone like that, I can be an ace, but I don’t need to be an ace because I And my job is, you know, playing defense and scoring the ball, and making plays when they double or triple me, and your job is to be great in defense and also make offensive plays for our guys. year. “
Do these good vibes last when they inevitably pass out in the middle of the season? This is always the real test of a team’s character, no matter how much they seem to have fun during pre-game rap songs and raucous celebrations on the bench at the end of a win. They will be tested harder than at the end of January, playing against teams with all their available stars and the motivation to slow down Embiid’s MVP campaign. That could happen as early as next week, with Embiid’s enemy Marc Gasol and defending champion Lakers in a clash of titans on Wednesday.
For now, the Sixers are in a good place. It’s more than you could say about them for most of last season, and much of the credit is in the hands of your two young stars, a strange couple, if there ever was one.
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