An inauspicious start...

Well that was unexpected.

Don't get me wrong, the Atlanta Haws are a very good team. In fact, since handing the controls over to Nate McMillan, including this 128-124 victory over the Sixers, they are 32-12. Beating the New York Knicks 4-1 in the first round wasn't an upset, folks--these guys are good.

But taking-a-29-point-lead-on-the-road good? Utterly embarrassing the Sixers in front of their fans good? I didn't see that coming.

I don't want to overreact and say the Sixers are done, Tae Young will continue to shred their pick-and-roll defense, Atlanta will shoot approximately one billion percent on jumpers all series long. No, it isn't over until it's over. But this was a troubling performance nonetheless.

Still...let's talk about some of it.

--So the final score is respectable thanks to a strong second half for the Sixers. Prior to the break, the Hawks shredded them for 74 points on 63.4/56.5/100.0, and afterward they managed 54 points on 40.0/29.2/91.7. If the Sixers can defend like that for four quarters, they'll be fine--particularly on Trae Young--the third year guard dropped 25 points and 7 assists in the first half and was a +6, but in the second half he scored 10 points on 10 shots, matched his assists with turnovers (3), and was a -17. The Sixers offensive performance was actually strong in terms of raw percentages in both halves (52.6 from the field and 35.7 from deep in the first half, 56.8 and 33.3 in those categories in the second), but the big difference was turnovers. En route to 19 giveaways in the game, the Sixers coughed up the rock a dozen times in the first 24 minutes. That cannot happen again. The Hawks are too dangerous in transition and have too many plus shooters to play around with that. The 7 in the second half isn't quite air tight ball control, but it is far less egregious.

--You might notice I didn't mention the Sixers free throw shooting up there. That's because it deserves to be its own talking point--and not in a good way. The Sixers got 35 trips to the line, but only netted 24 of them for 68.6%. The Hawks meanwhile only took 21 trips to the line, ut they made 20 for 95.2%. Ben Simmons, as he has been all season, was a major factor in the Sixers' futility from the charity stripe, making just 3 of his ten shots, 30%. He is officially a full-blown problem at the line. In six games this postseason, he's shooting 34.2%. That is blindingly awful. He is already at an inherent disadvantage given his lack of shooting range, but if he can't make a single free throw, he won't be intimidating anyone.

--Let's talk some good news--Joel Embiid played, not only shutting me up, ut doing so in dominant fashion. The big man played 38 minutes, got up 21 shots and dropped 39 points, hauled 9 boards and blocked 3 shots. He finished a +13. He didn't look limited at all in his movement and explosion, and he had no issues taking Clint Capela and whoever else tried to guard him to the weight room. The loss is no fun, but Embiid's status does not look to e in question, which is fantastic.

--Kind of tangential to the previous point, the starters as a whole were excellent. Every single opener was a net positive, with Simmons' +4 bringing up the rear. His struggles from the line notwithstanding, He still scored 17 points, dished ten dimes ad grabbed four steals, although he was a factor in the Sixers turnover woes with 5 of his own. Tobias Harris continued his strong play with a 20-10 effort, although I need him taking more than 13 shots. Danny Green struggled with his shot (0-for-4 on triples), and he had some real difficulties with Trae Young, but I won't hold one rough outing against a guy with his track record. Seth Curry's hot shooting continued (21 points, 5-for-9 on threes), and he tied for a game-high +16. Any cries to rejigger the opening unit are baseless. That does, however mean that...

--The bench needs to be better. Way better. In a four-point loss, the six men that came off the pine were all net-negatives in the game, with Shake Milton's the only one not thoroughly outscored (-2) in his time on the court...all 38 seconds of it. George Hill's performance was especially alarming. The 35-year-old veteran who's jo is to manage the offense and provide smart defense finished scoreless and with a -17 in barely ten minutes. Matisse Thybulle led Sixers bench scorers with ten points. That should tell you everything you need to know--my love for the kid is well-documented in this digital space, but he should never score more than, well, anyone. Tyrese Maxey, who has played so well recently, hit a bit of a wall (6 points on 2-for-8 shooting). Now, if the starters are going to have their minutes dialed up, this issue can be mitigated a bit. However, that doesn't mean the Sixers can afford to get blasted in the minutes their bench does have to step in. Bring this thing full circle...the bench needs to be better.

What's Next?

The Sixers will look to right the ship in Game 2 Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. Salvaging a split on home court would be ideal.