1 seed with home-court advantage, they had the best possible path to the Eastern Conference Finals, and Joel Embiid reached MVP level.
Ben Simmons had a disastrous series against the Hawks.
For one, he helped the Sixers lose the series opener by using a bizarre plan for the first half of Game 1: having Danny Green guard Trae Young, and relying on deep drop coverage in pick-and-rolls against Young, who has every counter to beat it.
He struggled yet again in Game 7, missing far too many good looks in the paint and finishing with 24 points on just 8-of-24 shooting.
Embiid averaged 30.4 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2 blocks per game, while playing brilliant defense to anchor his team at both ends of the floor.
Throw in other factors like general turnover issues and the bench struggles, and the list keeps going.
As you’d expect, one of the main topics of discussion with Doc Rivers was Ben Simmons’ play.
After being here for a year, I really do believe we’ve identified what and how, and now we have to do the do part.
First thing I said was, ‘We got to get him to the line 10 times a night.’ And to want to get to the line 10 times a night.
And Ben will be willing to do it, and that’s the key.
Besides, there’s surely a good chance now that the Sixers will be looking into trading Simmons this summer, if they can find a move to make an upgrade.
Of course, criticism of his play against Atlanta and his lack of development is fair, but he wasn’t himself in the second round.
Rivers emphasized that athletes are still just people like the rest of us.
“I have never had to deal with the public stuff that Ben had to deal with, with my family.
I understand the things that he’s gone through this year alone has been heavy for him and rough.
Everybody’s gonna say, ‘Oh, this and that, if he would have made this.’ If I made some shots in Game 1 for us…
I think he might be a little afraid of certain things, but because of how his interviews go, he doesn’t show much emotion.
He’s still an extremely smart and helpful team defender, he led the team in three-point attempts at 6.3 per game and made them at a 40.5 percent clip, and provided much-needed spacing with his off-ball movement and quick-trigger shooting.
“There’s always 29 unhappy teams throughout the summer, there’s only one that’s happy,” Green said when reflecting on the season and the disappointment of losing to the Hawks, which he knows was a missed opportunity.
The now 34-year-old wing has been a quality fit in Philly, both on and off the floor.
Maxey’s growth in all areas of the game was impressive, and he even had some strong playoff performances, most recently tallying 16 points in Game 6 against Atlanta to help drive Philly to a win.
“I’m gonna break down some film of myself with my father, trainers, coaching staff, and I’m gonna try to get one percent better every single day in all aspects for sure,” Maxey said.
Naturally, as is the case with all players, they want Maxey to get some extra rest first after only just finishing the season.
He’s grateful for the time he had in the G League, and appreciates what he’s learned from the Sixers’ coaching staff, Doc Rivers, and teammates like Joel Embiid — including tips on how to draw fouls and keep his confidence up at all times from the latter.
“Being able to finish around the rim against bigger players, moving guys out the way with these new muscles I’m finna have,” Reed said with a laugh.