The real season opens with a win over the Wizards

After the strangest scheduled regular season in recent NBA history (2019-2020 notwithstnding--that one was a special, unpredictable case), playoff action is finally here. It feels damn good, doesn't it? Even better? The Sixers opened the second season on top.

On Sunday afternoon, they took game one of their best-of-seven set with the Washington Wizards by a final score of 125-118 in front of 11,160 raucous fans at the Wells Fargo Center. And just that is the big picture--a 1-0 lead in this first round. But if anyone told you they had the Wizards taking more than one game in this series, they lied to you. The most Washington can ask for is a gentleman's sweep.

But a game is a game is a game, and there are observations to be had! Le'go.

--Who was that Tobias Harris in the first half? I'd made it known in my recent posts that I was a bit worried about the 28-year-old forward heading into the playoffs because down the stretch, he simply had not performed how he had for the bulk of what still became a career year. He seemed visibly hampered by his ailing knee. He was attacking less, he wasn't factoring on the glass nearly as much, and his overall scoring efficiency was way down. Well, if game one is any indication, color me completely confident in the man now. Harris went off for 37 points on 29 shots, looking confident and spry all the while. He worked his way through the teeth of the defense for layups, hit his baby jumpers, had a solid showing from downtown (2-of-5), and generally seemed in total control. He was particularly incendiary through the first two frames (28 points on 19 shot attempts) before Joel Embiid got loose in the second half (more on him in a moment). That Tobias Harris is a no-doubt-about-it number 2 option on a title contender, and I loved every minute of it. Now, the Wizards are not exactly a defensive powerhouse, and Harris was much quieter in the second half deferring to Embiid, and until he strings together a few performances at this level, his playoff demons will still haunt him (in 20 previous games, he averaged only 15.4 points on 42.1/31.1/4.5 shooting). But I'm looking at one game, and it was one helluva game.

--Besides, to Harris' credit, he didn't need to keep up his torrid pace from the first half, because Embiid took the torch. Fighting foul trouble, Embiid played only ten first half minutes. While he was plenty effective in that time (9 points on six shots), it paled in comparison to the fully unleashed version the Wizards were forced to endure in the third and fourth quarters. Embiid snapped for 21 points in 19 minutes and straight up bullied his way to the free throw line 10 times in that second half alone. His game ended with a 30 points on a tidy 16 shots, and the Sixers were a game-high +20 during his court time. With all due respect to Daniel Gafford, Alex Len, and Robin Lopez (props on the most hideous but effective baby hook in the game. Seriously.), none of those guys stands a chance.

--Might as well continue my trend and sing the praises of the rest of the starters, because they all offered standout performances in this one. Danny Green just hummed along and had a vintage Danny Green game (11 points on six shots including three triples, two steals and a block). Seth Curry shook off a goose egg in the first half and poured in 15 second half points. Ben Simmons only scored 6 points on nine shots (and bricked all 6 of his free throw attempts, which...nevermind...trying to be positive here...) but he had 15 rebounds and assists apiece with only two turnovers, and he played his usual brand of hellacious defense. If these are the types of games the Sixers can expect going forward when the competition stiffens and all the five main guys are logging 36-38+ minutes, then there are very little concerns moving forward.

--The bench did not factor big in this one, but some second unit guys had nice moments alongside the starters. Tyrese Maxey saw under seven minutes, but he made an immediate impact when inserted, converting a 3-point play right away that brought some life to the game. George Hill scored 11 points in 18 minutes and helped the backcourt tread water without Simmons for stretches. Matisse Thybulle had a very on-brand 13 minutes, not scoring a single point but wreaking perimeter havoc with two swats and two swipes and generally making Bradley Beal work for his. Those are the type of supporting cameos the Sixers will need if they want to do something really special this year.

--The Wizards star backcourt duo of Beal and Russell Westbrook did combine for 49 points, but it took took them 40 shots to reach that number, and they also totaled 12 turnovers. The Sixers will certainly live with that volume and inefficiency. What they don't want to see is guys like Davis Bertans and Gafford going off for 26 points together off the bench. The ceiling for this Wizards team is about 50 stories beneath that of the Sixers. Beal is a star and Westbrook when he's going right still meets that definition, but apart from a couple of solid rotation guys, the roster around those two is...not exactly a murderer's row. The worst thing that can happen in that type of scenario is those less heralded guys gaining confidence. That forces the Sixers' starters to play more and play harder, when really they should coast by this series. Next game, I want to see a 30-point shellacking. Make the Wizards realize they aren't in the same weight class, and put them down.

What's Next?

The Sixers will host game 2 on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.