In the Playoffs, with the stakes so high, matters of personnel - like substitutions and rotations - take on that much more significance.
Through the first two games of the 76ers’ Eastern Conference Quarterfinals pairing with the Miami Heat, Brett Brown has shown he’s not afraid to mix things up when circumstances dictate, especially at the center position.
The fifth-year head coach went with Amir Johnson as his starter in Game 1, but, in need of a floor-stretching small-ball spark plug in the second half, gave the five man nod to Ersan Ilyasova in the third quarter. The move paid major dividends, and keyed a 15-0 surge that flipped the game in the Sixers’ favor.
Then Monday, in Game 2, the roles were reversed. Ilyasova opened the game with the first stringers, only to be relieved by Johnson at the outset of the second half.
A veteran of 13 NBA seasons, Johnson believes that in the Playoffs, it’s paramount for players to keep an open mind about how they’re being used.
With the Sixers, Johnson says, that hasn’t been a problem.
“It’s very rare to get that flow and togetherness right off the bat,” said Johnson, who tallied 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists Monday versus Miami. “It just shows you how good this team is, and how much we’re willing to win for us to come together just like that and play well. It’s quite something else.”
Brown appreciates having someone of Johnson’s go-with-the-flow disposition inside a locker room that has relatively limited postseason experience.
“That’s the flexibility you need within a team,” Brown said recently, when asked about Johnson’s attitude. “That’s the type of people you need...to be flexible with how we sub it. And Amir is a poster child for good people. He is a competitor, he is a veteran, and he really is a wonderful teammate.”
Later that night, in Game 2, a far greener member of the Sixers’ roster, Markelle Fultz, showed similar buy-in, the pace of the tilt causing his minutes to take a hit (he played four minutes).
“I’m all about the team,” Fultz said Tuesday, before the Sixers regrouped for practice. “Any decisions, I’m fine with it. I was still there cheering on my teammates, trying to help them stay motivated.”
And who knows? Next time, maybe the situation warrants that Fultz assumes extended minutes. Either way, like the elder statesman Johnson, Fultz intends to be ready.
“I’m going to keep doing everything I’m doing every day,” said Fultz, who’s totaled 5 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 assists in the Playoffs. “Once I’m going to get my opportunity, I’m going to go out there and show it.”