The Philadelphia 76ers have not had a top-seed feeling to them this postseason
By Austin Lloyd
The Philadelphia 76ers are just finding new ways to lose; don’t look like a worthy No. 1 seed.
Whether it is in regards to blowing a huge lead against an average opponent or showcasing a severe lack of depth in the process, the Philadelphia 76ers are feeling less and less like a top-seeded team as the days go by (even by Eastern Conference standards).
In the fifth installment of their semifinal series against the Atlanta Hawks, Philly’s top three scorers were Joel Embiid with 37 points, Seth Curry with 36, and a tie between Ben Simmons and Furkan Korkmaz for third, as they each had eight. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the problem there.
It appears as if the Hawks were only playing two Sixers this time around, and they wasted no time in taking advantage of such an opportunity.
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As the Sixers struggled for scoring help apart from Embiid and Curry, Atlanta, led by Trae Young who finished with 39 points, had three other players on the roster (Lou Williams, Danilo Gallinari, and John Collins) who scored at least 15 points each in Game 5.
The whole debacle merely implies that the Sixers aren’t even ready to be a top seed, much less play for and possibly win an NBA Finals. It takes more than two productive players to win one, and you can’t afford to be outscored by 25 in the second half of a pivotal playoff game against a fifth-seeded squad.
Despite Philadelphia really dropping the ball in Game 5, it is still worth noting that the Hawks deserve credit due to their ability to capitalize on the entire situation to the best of their abilities, as previously established. Regardless of where their seeding has placed them, they are certainly a force to be reckoned with and are clearly playing their best basketball of the season right now.
However, they should not be giving an opponent with Finals potential this much trouble, and that is why the Sixers hardly seem to be one by this point in the series.
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In a decisive Game 6 on the road, it’ll be interesting to see how the Sixers respond. Will this team waive the white flag and roll over easily, or do they have one more punch in their arsenal that could potentially send this series to a Game 7?