Final Week in Review: First place is ours

Indeed it is.

The Sixers split their final four games of the regular season last week, dropping contests in Indiana and Miami and closing things out with a pair of home victories over Orlando. When the dust settled and the smoke cleared, they owned first place in the Eastern Conference at 49-23, narrowly edging out the Nets (48-24) and Bucks (46-26). Of course their reward for the first place standing is home court advantage throughout the Conference tournament.

How important is that for this team? Despite being vastly improved on the road this year (20-16, last year 12-26), they are simply dominant in the friendly confines of the Wells Fargo Center (29-7).

Considering this as the season end, I'll do this a little bit different, more akin to how I wrote my last Week in Review: I'll post all of the scores form the games, and then briefly touch on some overarching highlights. Also, you may notice a more global look at their season as a whole here, since this is the final one of these for the regular season.

Ándale!

Tuesday, 5/21/2021: Lost at Indiana Pacers 103-94

Thursday, 5/23/2021: Lost at Miami Heat 106-94

Friday, 5/24/2021: Won v. Orlando Magic 122-97

Sunday, 5/26/2021 Won v. Orlando Magic 128-117

--Not that it's exactly worrisome, but it is a bit of a bummer that the two losses this week came against the two teams either in (Miami) or possibly in (Indy) the playoffs. I've been off for a few weeks, but prior to those losses, the Sixers were riding an 8-game winning streak. They did manage to crush the Hawks twice (5th seed in the East) and barely get passed the Spurs in overtime (pay-in participant in the Western Conference), but much has been made of their rather easy final stretch of competition. You may recall the last time I did one of these, the Sixers were coming off a dismal 0-4 week. Their opponents in that interval? The Bucks twice, the Suns, and the Warriors--all teams appreciably better than (yes, factor the Dubs in their too--Stephen Curry exists after all) the Hawks in talent and/or ceiling, and most certainly superior to the Spurs. I'll even throw out the Pacers--nobody could realistically make a case for them to compete with Philly across 7 games; winning one would be a minor miracle--but the Heat lost is at least worthy of consideration. Miami is revving up at exactly the right time (winners of 12 of 16 down the stretch) and looking more dangerous by the day, eerily similar to last year. Nobody would be shocked if they just punched Milwaukee in the mouth just like a year ago, and it might not even shock the world if they beat Brooklyn in the second round. That would set up an epic Conference Finals. You know Jimmy Butler (who quietly wrapped up the best season of his career) would love to get a crack at Ben Simmons in the playoffs to show him what a real competitive spirit and willingness to make any play to win look like.

--Something I have often looked at throughout the year--the Sixers turned it over only 10.5 times per game this week, and never more than 12 in any one contest. They improved very well in that department as the year went on. They ended the season 20th in the league with 14.4 turnovers a night. Over their final 36 outings--a full half of the season--they only averaged 12.6 giveaways, a mark that would have been the fifth fewest over the entire season. Coughing the ball up is amplified in the slowed pace of the playoffs where more methodical half-court offense reigns supreme, so taking care of the ball the way they have been is an encouraging sign.

--In their two losses, the Sixers shot 15-of-51 on threes (29.4% on 25.5 attempts per game). In the wins? 35-of-74 (47.3% on 37.0 attempts per game). Now that radioactive shooting is obviously unsustainable, but I want to focus on the attempts here. 37.0 attempts per game would have been a top-10 mark for the year. In actuality, they only took 30.1, which ranked fifth-fewest, despite canning a respectable 37.4%, 10th best. Firing away is not a novelty anymore, it is the way of the NBA. To that end...keep feeding Seth Curry on the perimeter. The real blood Splash Brother finished the year striping it at 45.0% from three but averaged only 4.9 attempts in his 28.7 minutes. That number needs to be bumped up to the 6-7 range at least come playoff time. Good thing that over his final 13 games he was up to 5.4 attempts--on which he shot a brain melting 57.1%. It finally looks like he is back to his early season form after struggles and inconsistency upon his return from COVID-19.

--I know benches will shrink come playoff time, and 20-year-old rookies rarely make a postseason impact either way, but how about the way Tyrese Maxey finished the year? The Kentucky product saw action in all four games this week and averaged 13.8 points on 46.7/37.5/90.9, and he dropped a 30-spot in his freshman finale. Dating back further, over his final 15 games, Maxey poured in 11.3 points on 49.6/35.3/87.5 to go along with 3.2 assists against just 0.9 turnovers in 19.1 minutes, and the Sixers won his minutes by 59 points in that timeframe. As I intimated earlier, Doc figures to go with more trusted veterans like George Hill and Shake Milton, perhaps even some Furkan Korkmaz, come playoffs, but you have to be excited for the future with this kid.

--On the other hand, I'm a touch worried about Tobias Harris heading into the playoffs. After looking like a true no.2 option behind Joel Embiid for much of the year, a banged up knee seemed to slow him down. He finished the year off with a 21- and 27-point effort in the final week, but overall, he slumped to the finish line a bit. In his last 15 games, in 29.5 minutes, he put up just 15.9 points and grabbed 5.1 boards. He looked more tentative and less free than he had prior to the balky leg. Maybe a full week off between games will do him some good, but I can't help but think of his previous postseason struggles and feel a tinge of doubt.

What's Next?

First round playoff action, yo. The Sixers will host the 8th seed--second place in the play-in tournament--in a best-of-seven series beginning this coming weekend, date to be determined. The pool of possible opponents right now includes the Boston Celtics (whom the Sixers swept in three games this season), Charlotte Hornets (whom they were also perfect against, 3-0), Indiana Pacers (2-1), and Washington Wizards (once more a perfect 3-0 against).

I can't wait.