Tim BontempsESPN
PHILADELPHIA — It took all of 61 seconds within the 3rd quarter Monday evening for Philadelphia 76ers teacher Document Rivers to come to a decision he had observable plenty.
Upcoming staring at his staff fail to correctly run a play games he drew up popping out of the halftime split — which adopted a lackadaisical total efficiency within the first part of Recreation 2 in their first-round layout towards the Brooklyn Nets — Rivers let his gamers know the way he felt.
“Cursing us out,” big name James Harden stated matter-of-factly, adopted via amusing, when requested what Rivers stated in that huddle. “That’s it. Just cursing us out.
“The primary ownership, we didn’t run a play games that he drew up, for no matter reason why. However we were given it proper.”
Harden was once proper — the 76ers seemed like a unconditionally other staff then they left that huddle, outscoring the Nets 24-12 over the general 11 mins of the 3rd quarter to retake the govern for just right. Tyrese Maxey scored 33 issues and Joel Embiid dominated with 20 points, 19 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks as the 76ers claimed a 96-84 victory and a 2-0 lead as the series shifts to Brooklyn for Game 3 on Thursday.
“I assumed we wasted the entire first part,” Rivers said. “Actually simply operating random [stuff], no longer trusting our units.
“First play, we didn’t run it. So I thought we needed to talk about it. And, you know, give them credit. From that point on, I thought our execution was unbelievable.”
Over the left-overs of the 3rd quarter, the 76ers merely wore ailing the Nets. Brooklyn nice-looking effectively finished its sport plan total, getting up 42 3-point makes an attempt — Jacque Vaughn stated pregame that he was hoping his Nets would explode a minimum of 40 — and controlled to play games the ownership sport to a draw via forcing Philadelphia into 19 giveover that become 22 Brooklyn issues.
However because the 3rd quarter wore on, the ones double groups on Embiid cancelled forcing giveover and in lieu pressured Brooklyn into give up one wide-open shot then some other. And age Philadelphia began knocking them ailing, hitting 4 of the staff’s 11 3-pointers at the evening in that quarter unwanted, the 76ers additionally suffocated Brooklyn’s offense on the alternative finish of the court docket, maintaining the Nets to 6-for-18 taking pictures as Philadelphia took a govern it by no means would relinquish.
“We got guys to the right space,” Rivers stated. “Joel was patient. James was patient. We moved the ball, we got every shot we wanted.
“That was once a crispy sport, as a result of we were given out of doors of ourselves within the first part. I assumed we have been forcing it. We have been making an attempt, not anything egocentric, however we’re seeking to ranking all people, in lieu of there providing you with the solutions with their traps. Accept as true with your stuff, consider your spacing, go the ball and the suitable guys are getting to finally end up with the ball.
“And if we do it enough, eventually, Joel, you’re gonna get one-on-ones, and then you’re going to dominate the game. And I thought we did that in the second half.”
There is probably not a larger mismatch in those playoffs than Embiid going up towards Brooklyn’s undersized frontline, and it confirmed as this sport went alongside. The Nets stored doubling Embiid till they started getting picked aside within the 3rd quarter. Sooner or later, that pressured them to journey to unmarried protection, and Embiid replied via bulldozing his strategy to the rim day and once more.
Later on, Embiid stated he was once somewhat satisfied staring at his teammates knock ailing shot then shot, and stated if groups accumulation attacking him the best way the Nets did, that’s how the NBA’s two-time reigning scoring chief will proceed to function.
“I think that’s probably why I get double- and triple-teamed a lot,” Embiid stated. “A lot of people think I just love scoring the basketball. Which I don’t think is true. I enjoy winning and doing whatever it takes to win.
“Some nights, I may explode a batch and ranking a batch. Some nights, I’m getting to get double-teamed and need to assemble the passes, however I imagine in enjoying the suitable method. Which is getting your teammates concerned, double, triple groups, ensuring everyone touching the ball, sees the ball. That’s what I imagine in, and it’s a laugh enjoying that method. Everyone’s satisfied. Doesn’t topic if I’ve 4 issues so long as we ranking and guys are doing their activity and making pictures. That makes me satisfied.”
After Game 1, Vaughn implored the referees to call more travels and defensive 3-second calls on Embiid, and he got at least one of them called on Embiid on a drive against center Nic Claxton in the second half. Embiid took a shot at Vaughn after the game, comparing him to Raptors coach Nick Nurse, twice an Embiid playoff opponent, but said ultimately what changed the game in the second half was Philadelphia sticking together through its struggles early on.
“I noticed then the sport endmost day, they more or less took the Nick Baby sitter path of begging for isolated throws and calling out the referees,” Embiid said. “They did pop out they usually were given a batch of shouts, which I supposition it’s just right for them.
“But I think we didn’t play our best basketball. But what happened in the second half was we just figured out what worked and we just kept doing it over and over and over. You know, they’re stuck to their game plan, they didn’t make any adjustments and you know, and we just figured that out and just kept playing together.”
