Sixers Win, But No Chance to Breathe


PHILADELPHIA — There was tense energy at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night as the Philadelphia 76ers prepared to play Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors.

The Sixers have a star power that should beat most other teams, but their star has had playoff trouble before. Joel Embiid, the leader of the NBA in terms of points per game during the regular season, never made it past the second round of the playoffs. James Harden, who won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award for the 2017-18 season, has not made it past the conference finals since reaching the NBA finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012.

Did the fans in the building dare to hope that this team could win the franchise’s first title since 1983?

Can Harden and Embiid get back together fast enough despite only playing 21 regular season games together?

The 76ers defeated the Raptors 131-111 against Toronto, avoiding the traps that had trapped them. They beat the Raptors. They made just one turnover in the first 44 minutes of the game. Game 1 gave hope.

But hope also has limits. If they want to prove that this band can succeed where past versions have failed, the 76ers need to build on their Saturday night performance. The pressure on Embiid and Harden did not dissipate with the win.

“It’s just a game,” Embiid said repeatedly at his post-match press conference.

Embiid had 19 points and 15 rebounds. Harden had 22 points and 14 assists. But the star of the game for the 76ers was Tyrese Maxey, who scored 38 points on 14 of his 21 field goals.

Late in the third quarter, Harden saw Maxey beat the Raptors on the court and grabbed the ball with both hands to throw Maxey a perfectly placed ricochet that spanned almost three-quarters of the field. Maxey caught him and scored with the reverse layup.

This game provided an example of the 21-year-old guard’s value to Philadelphia.

“He’s like a great player,” Harden said, before praising Maxey’s ability to capitalize on his multiple defenses with Embiid.

Maxey couldn’t help but smile as he made his final debut. He sat on the bench with the scoreboard camera fixed on him as the crowd chanted his name over and over. After the match, though, he didn’t enjoy the praise.

“The only thing I will remember is that we won,” Maxey said. “That’s all that matters at this point. Now it’s in my rearview mirror.”

The crowd exploded with a mixture of joy and relaxation – Philadelphia’s performance eased tensions in the building. But there remained a keen awareness that winning Game 1 does not mean that you will win the series.

Harden knows what it’s like to lose a streak after winning his first game. In fact, it’s happened to him in the last two seasons. Last year, the Nets won Game 1 of their second-round series against Milwaukee before losing the series in seven games. Two years ago, the Rockets won Game 1 of their second-round series against the Lakers before losing the next four games.

Fair or not, the end of this season will mark the beginning of a referendum for the team meeting in Philadelphia.

The Sixers brought Harden in a trade in February to replace Ben Simmons, who was selected first overall in the 2016 draft.

The 76ers began beating their opponents right after the trade. They won the first game Harden played for them and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves by 31 points. Harden scored 27 points and while in the game the 76ers had the upper hand over the Timberwolves.

Still, Philadelphia’s sobs since Harden’s arrival had been alarming. The Sixers lost 29 points to the Nets in the first game between the teams since the trade. They lost twice to the Raptors in the final month of the season.

Simmons has yet to play for the Nets, but despite being East’s seventh seed thanks to the outstanding talent of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, it can be said that the Nets are in better shape than Philadelphia in the playoffs.

Harden wasn’t particularly effective against the Raptors on Saturday. He made 6 of 17 field goals and only 2 of 10 2-pointers. He showed his influence by helping his teammates.

“I don’t think we’ve really seen what it can do,” Embiid said. “But tonight was comfortable: he made the right plays, got the guys, went to the line a few times even though they didn’t do all his fouls for him. But it was good to see him aggressive.

Coach Doc Rivers agreed that Harden looked comfortable on offense.

“You should have told. You can see it there,” Rivers said. “He searched for the games himself.”

Rivers attributed this in part to the team’s decision to simplify the playbook and focus on a few games they knew could play well.

Maxey’s contributions were also crucial to his plans. He sat next to Harden on the podium on Saturday night, and Harden gave a mischievous grin as he recounted his postseason experiences.

“I’ve been in the playoffs for 13 years,” Harden said.

Maxey interrupted to call him old.

“I’m sorry,” Maxey said as if he were a child caught misbehaving before looking at 32-year-old Harden and smiling again.

“I just wanted to play well,” Harden said. I feel like I played a good game individually tonight, but you have a great team for that.”

The 76ers got what they needed for Game 1, but there’s no guarantee the same formula will suffice as the playoffs progress or even as this series moves into Game 2 on Monday.



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