In the history of the NBA league, the Philadelphia 76ers are also a team with a head and a face, and once dominated the league in the last century. But times have changed, and in the twenty-first century, this team has always been inextricably linked to tragic colors. They've never lacked followers, and they've never lacked superstars, but they always seem to be a little bit off standing at the top of the league, which may be the champion in many fans and media populations.
At the beginning of the century, the lone hero Iverson snatched back a victory in the hands of the peak Lakers led by the OK group, which shocked people that superheroes existed in reality, and made the Philadelphia 76ers one of the most fans in the country, but this was just a vain name. After Iverson's peak faded, Iguodala also led the team to stage the Black Eight Miracle, but after all, for this little AI, everyone liked that he would treat him as a perfect team player, but expecting him to lead the team to win the championship alone was nothing more than a fantasy.
And the time came to 2022, when the Philadelphia 76ers hesitantly traded from the Nets to get the former MVP scoring champion Harden to form a historic level of inside and outside the combination of Harden Embiid, they once again became the focus of fans' attention, and the team once again gained super popularity, but the championship seems to not exist.
At the beginning of Harden's regular season, the 76ers did play a few good games, and the picture of Harden and Embiid blocking the demolition was really beautiful, so beautiful that people could look forward to the championship, but unfortunately, Harden's body seemed to have not allowed him to play like he did when he played for the Rockets a few years ago. Embiid, on the other hand, does lack a reliable backup center who can share his scoring and defensive pressure.
As a result, the two came to the playoff stage in the constant grinding of the crowd, Embiid moving towards the MVP can still play 30 + 10 horror data every night, while Harden began to play the role of the second boss, occasionally breaking through on the court to create a foul, occasionally looking for an open shot opportunity on the outside line, and often coming to the game with a few chest passes to show off his basic skills. The Philadelphia 76ers look strong, but they're also in last place among several championship contenders.
Having played 5 games in the Raptors series, Embiid's shooting percentage is still a very large decline compared to the regular season, and although the various singles are very good, it can also be seen that he is more difficult, and the thumb injury also makes him suffer. Harden, on the other hand, seems to be pandering to the critics' evaluation of him, many sunspots think that Harden will continue to pull his crotch at a critical moment, this is not, after the series 3:0 lead, Harden began to habitually walk on the court, whether it is offensive or defensive, he does not play like a supergiant.
The Philadelphia 76ers were also pulled in two innings in a row with a 3-0 lead, and now the big score is 2:3, and the pressure is on the Philadelphia side, and in the next game they will go as far as the Northland, when the clamor of Canadian fans, the opponent's tough forward combination, and the Raptors who have begun to have some bloodthirsty momentum will bring great trouble to the 76ers. Like mentioned above, this team looks strong, but it does lack a bit of a championship look.
The good news for the 76ers is that they still have home-court advantage, still hold game points, and no team in NBA history can turn the tables without falling behind 3-0 in the playoff series. But just as the 76ers often happened after entering the 21st century, the 76ers seem to have had such signs of succession of losses. Embiid said publicly in an interview that he hopes Harden can shoot more, but all this is not under his jurisdiction, which should be the obligation and responsibility of coach Rivers.
The league's no. 1 center is certainly unparalleled on the court, but he is not a good leader, he is hard enough on the court, and he often uses various speeches off the court to flex those doubts, but just like when he was beaten by Leonard's killer last year and was eliminated by the Hawks in the case of dominance, he seems to be unable to encourage the whole team to move forward except to blame his teammates.
It is true that Rivers' tactics have attracted criticism in these two games, and it is true that he is a championship manager, and it is true that he is one of the most successful coaches in the history of the NBA, but the series of 1:3 and 2:3 is a nightmare for Rivers, and the use of players in key games is also controversial.
When the Raptors won the G4 score to 1:3, coach Nas used to be very domineering and said that the big score is no longer 0:3, and this murderous remark may be directed at Rivers's psychological defense. However, in the eyes of many people, this is just Nas's words to cheer for his disciples, but as the G5 digital people play as if they were ignorant, and the emperor's obvious dissatisfaction with the other players and managers of the team, it seems that Nas's original words have become a reality. Will the first time in NBA playoff history that a 3-0 deficit be overturned? Rivers, perhaps, is the answer to that question.