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Playoffs Game Review | On to the Next One

Recap:

Let’s hold off on talking about the Playoffs, for a moment (just a moment).

So much of this entire 2017-2018 season has been about how a relatively young, green 76ers team - one loaded with promising, yet unproven talent - would handle new experiences, and heightened expectations.

Back in October, there was plenty of optimism surrounding the Sixers, and for good reason.

But 50 wins? A record-setting, season-ending 16-game win streak? A top-3 seed in the conference standings? The fifth-best overall record in the entire NBA?

There weren’t too many people, if any at all, who envisioned the Sixers ascending to those lofty heights, but darned if they didn’t manage to do just that.

Now, zoom in on the Playoffs, and on Tuesday, the Sixers moved the bar even higher.

With a fittingly determined 104-91 victory in front of raucous sellout crowd of 21,171 at The Center, the Sixers ousted the Miami Heat from their knock-down, drag-em-out Eastern Conference Quarterfinals battle.

Advancing in the post-season for the first time in six years, the Sixers outlasted Miami four games to one, and will now have a date in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with the winner of the Boston Celtics-Milwaukee Bucks series.

As the final seconds tick-tocked off the clock Tuesday, “Trust the Process” chants grew louder, the anthemic “Here Come the Sixers” started playing over the arena’s PA system, confetti shot into the air, and players from both sides, who waged a heck of a war against each other the past 10 days, exchanged handshakes, hugs, and other congratulatory gestures.

While Miami fought admirably, it was the Sixers that ultimately pulled away from the Heat. The reward was a moment five years in the making.

His hair dampened and a white towel draped over his suit jacket, Brett Brown, still soaked from the latest post-game bell ringing celebration from inside the Sixers’ locker room, was filled with pride following his group’s latest accomplishment, which also happens to be its most significant yet.

“I was hired in 2013, and I sat with [managing partners] Josh Harris and David Blitzer, and a few of the other owners,” recalled Brown. “We talked about the vision, what we hoped to build, and through rough times, through adversity, for sure, we didn’t blink.”

If anything, the Sixers organization, from top to bottom, on all fronts, got stronger. Here the franchise is now, living and breathing the better days.

Behind a perfect 10 for 10 showing on free throws, JJ Redick paced the Sixers with a game-high 27 points.

Foul shooting was a pivotal storyline in the latest (and last) grind-it-out, physical affair between the Sixers and Miami. The Sixers converted 29 of 36 attempts from the stripe, en route to outscoring Miami by 16 from the stripe.

Looking more and more like his normal self on the offensive end of the floor, Joel Embiid registered a double-double for the second time in as many games, with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

“It was great,” Embiid said of Tuesday’s game, which marked his first post-season appearance in front of the Sixers’ home fans. “I’ve been waiting for this moment. It kind of powers the city, making the Playoffs. It was just exciting. I worked hard for this, and I’m glad we got the win.”

Embiid was a key part in bringing the victory home.

The All-Star’s feathery elbow jumper less than three minutes into Tuesday’s fourth quarter gave the Sixers a game-high 18-point advantage, 87-69, and put them in the driver’s seat after a laborious first half.

Ben Simmons, with 14 points and 10 boards, manufactured a double-double as well. It was his fourth of the five-game series.

“I’m proud of everybody who stepped,” said the rookie point man. “Everybody who was believing ins us, I know everybody in this locker room knew where we could be. All the hard work has paid off.”

After slogging through a tense, choppy first half that saw both teams shoot under 39 percent from the field, trade six leads, and play to 11 ties, the Sixers finally broke free.

A 20-6 surge got them going, as they proceeded to outscore Miami 34-20 in the third quarter.

In the fourth, the Sixers went more than seven minutes without a field goal, but, via free throws, were able to get by.

“It’s only one round, one series,” said the always even-keeled Simmons. “We’ve got to focus on the next one.”

Tuesday’s triumph resulted in the Sixers closing out a post-season series at home for the first time since Game 7 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals. The victory gave the franchise its third Playoffs series win since reaching the Finals in 2001.

Turning Point:

Arguably the top second-half team of the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Sixers again were at their best following the intermission break.

Tuesday, it was in a decisive third quarter.

Miami scored the first basket of the period, but from there, the Sixers strung together 11 points in a row. Their defense got stops, they rebounded effectively, and a pair of treys during the run helped open things up offensively.

Brett Brown also in the third quarter went back to his uptempo, small ball front court tandem of Ersan Ilyasova and Dario Saric for a bit. Like it did for the Sixers in a Game 1 victory, the different look lit a spark.

The Sixers went ahead by as many as 18 points in the third before turning the page to the fourth.

The Sixers shot 50.0 percent (12-24 fg) in Tuesday’s third frame, while holding Miami to a paltry 31.8 percent. Of note too was that the Sixers were plus-six on the glass.

X-Factors:

• One of nine NBA teams to sell out every game during the regular season, the Sixers drew a particularly loud and spirited crowd for Tuesday’s closeout victory. Among the highlights were Bam Adebayo missing free throws for a Wendy’s Frosty Freeze Out, and, of course, the game serving as a welcoming party of sorts for rap artist Meek Mill. Plenty of recognizable faces were in the house, and included: Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, champion boxer Bernard Hopkins, comedian Kevin Hart, performing artist Lil Dickey, the 2018 NCAA champion Villanova Wildcats men’s basketball team, Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball head coach Phil Martelli, and David Hartley and Charlie Hall from the Philadelphia-based rock band The War on Drugs.

Brett Brown said the Sixers’ mission at home has been to give back to a passionate fan base for its support over the years.

• Joel Embiid’s offensive game passed the eye test in Tuesday’s victory over Miami. Statistically, it looked good, too, as he sunk 8 of 14 attempts. Below is Embiid’s Game 5 shotchart. While the bulk of his misses came outside the heart of the key, he wasn’t off by much. Embiid seemed pleased with his performance, and kept the big picture in perspective.

“I’m just thankful to be here, because it goes back to three or four years ago when it all started for me here,” said Embiid, whose first two seasons as a pro were lost to injury. “To be in this position, I’m just excited. Playing through adversity after everything that has happened to me, I’m just blessed.”

Embiid had his standard impact on the glass, and on defense in Tuesday’s game. He hauled in a game-best 12 rebounds, and contested 13 shots.

• Telling of the Sixers’ defensive success Tuesday was that they were plus-14 in defensive rebounding, and did a good job containing several of Miami’s primary threats. All-Star Goran Dragic went 6 for 16 on field goals in Game 5, while Hassan Whiteside was 0 for 4, Dwyane wade 4 for 15, and Wayne Ellington 3 for 8.

“Those guys are long,” said Dragic, when asked about the Sixers’ defense in the series. “Of course, the opposite coach [Brett Brown] did a tremendous job pairing against us.”

Other Significant Storylines:

High Upside

For as much as the Sixers had to scrape and claw their way through five blue collar bouts with the Miami Heat, it became clear by series’ end Tuesday that Brett Brown’s team was superior.

While the Sixers have made tremendous strides from last season to this one, Brown sees no reason to ease up on the impassioned approach he’s taken to coaching the team the last five years.

“When I see this team, I feel like there’s no team that has more chance for upside than we do,” Brown said Tuesday, pointing to the Sixers’ youth, and the fact that Joel Embiid is still trying to get back to playing at full speed. “I get really excited, because I think the longer we can survive, and stay in this, I see an upside here that we can go to a higher level of play, and I get really excited about that.

Wade’s Farewell?

On the Miami Heat side of things, part of the post-game line of questioning from the media focused on whether or not, after 15 years as one of the NBA’s top players, Dwyane Wade had made his final appearance as a pro. The three-time champ and 12-time All-Star wouldn’t say, but he did have plenty of complimentary remarks about the Sixers.

“You can lose with effort, you can lose to the better team. That’s what they were, that’s what they are, there’s no secret about that. I thought we did our job, we had some moments we would love to have back, but ultimately, we played with the effort we needed to. They had more than us.”

Sixers Social:

Sometimes, a tweet can say it all, in less than 280 characters, too.

Up Next:

The Sixers will be participating in the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2012, when they dropped a memorable seven-game series to the Boston Celtics. They could very well see Boston in the second round this year, as the Cs took a 3-2 lead on the Milwaukee Bucks with Tuesday's 92-87 home triumph.