The Philadelphia 76ers have had several chances to close out their second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.
It will be the first Game 7 for most of Atlanta’s roster, including Trae Young, whereas Philadelphia’s core trio of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris still have the memory of their crushing Game 7 loss to the Toronto Raptors in 2019 fresh in their memories.
Yes, there’s a ton I love about the Hawks — Trae Young’s inconsistent-but-electric ability to weave offensive magic from nothing, a superb level of depth around him, a vastly improved defense under Nate McMillan and that special feeling of house money when you weren’t supposed to make it this far in the first place.
He is averaging almost 39 points on over 56 percent shooting at home in this series, so look for him to carry Philadelphia over the finish line.
Joel Embiid has been a monster at home, and the home team has all the statistical history on its side in Game 7s, but there’s something about this Atlanta team.
Ben Simmons is what he is, but the Sixers have proven that they’re capable of winning games even with subpar offensive efforts from their second All-Star.
Maloney’s take: The Sixers are very clearly the better team and have the best player, even if he’s less than 100 percent.