Like the fact that the NBA has tried to solve tanking 5 different ways and done nothing substantive and sustained on flopping is wild to me. It impacts 100% of the games.

this particular rant was inspired by Chet Holmgren clearly seeing he was not going to get a rebound in last night's game -- so he grabs his opponent and then launches himself to the ground.

But I wouldn't even consider him a major flopper.

It's just everybody now.

Also...NBA refs...if an elite athlete initiates contact against his opponent and then magically ends up going backward...do not call the foul. Just don't call it. There is no world where that happens organically. It's never happened in the history of pickup basketball. The physics of it are nonsense

And the penalty can't be fines. It has to be points...for the other team...during the game. Right now flopping is 90% reward and like 10% risk. That needs to be much, MUCH closer to 50-50.

We've reached a point where if you're not flopping, you're not competing. EVERYONE has to try to do it. And the guys that don't do it as much or as well -- Edwards, Maxey -- are basically playing at a disadvantage. It's horrible for the sport.

I say this self-consciously as a Sixer fan who has watched Joel Embiid master the art of drawing contact. There needs to be real, game-related punishment for this. Fouls called. Free throws awarded. I would even be fine with video reviews after the game with penalties assessed in future games.

The biggest thing the NBA needs to address is flopping and foul-grifting. It's so much more important than the stuff around threes. It alienates fans. It slows down the game. And it makes it almost impossible to referee.

this is blowing my mind a little. i do think the threshold for a career that short resulting in the HOF is very high. but i'm guessing it's happened. maybe Yao?

Fair to say if you gave one player LeBron's career before 30 and another player LeBron's career after 30 that both those players would make the hall of fame?

i don't *love* it as a strategy. but if you're picking poisons with Boston it might be the wise choice. especially if those threes are semi-contested and above the break.

Boston is clearly trying the same with Kelly and VJ (though we'll see how much longer they do it with the latter).

i do think they were more intentional about attacking Boston's weaker defenders in Game 2. In Game 1 it seemed they wanted to center everything around Tyrese and PG regardless of matchup. In Game 2 they let VJ hunt guys like Hauser in the PnR.

I wonder if Boston will start switching those actions

Chart from the ALL CITY NBA podcast showing that Sixers shot quality in Games 1 and 2 was quite similar. But their rate of conversion in Game 2 was dramatically higher. Game 1 was arguably their worst shooting game of the season overall

It's not a satisfying analysis...but the Sixers having literally their worst shooting game of the season followed by one of their best...is kinda why we are where we are.

Overall shot quality was surprisingly decent in both games.

Also helps to cut down on turnovers

That would be the standard interpretation

Yeah I think a healthy dose of luck. And perhaps they were due some after Game 1.

The Sixers did force the J's into a little bit of that Iso/Pull-Up 3 mode. And they can make those shots. But I always feels a little better when you can force them into those 3s instead of the swing, swing 3s

Now do I think the Sixers cracked the code here? I do not. I expect the three-point tables to turn back at some point and the Celtics to have some huge scoring nights.

But at the very least they've bought some time...which was really the goal in the first 3-4 games of this series.

Joel Embiid tweet from 21 minutes ago: "LFG"

Not gonna let myself think about it. No sir. Not I

Those are all worthy contenders. The 2023 team was just…better tho. I was surprised but not stunned.

2012 is a little closer. Although that Boston team was clearly fading.

lol easily

The story of the game was the three point shooting. And that’s just how it goes sometimes.

But I do think the Sixers were a little more intentional about attacking Boston’s few defensive weak links…specifically trusting VJ to put Hauser in PnR.

Been watching Sixers basketball a long time…

That might be the most surprising win I’ve ever seen

Totally. I can get with bad decision making and good hands. I love Bball Paul!

Literally standing next to Tyrese Maxey. An all NBA guard. One of the fastest players in basketball. Right there.

Me too. I wanted to like him. But my god the basketball IQ is through the floor

Unreal

Yeah that’s a good one. But I feel like he could at least catch the ball and make a layup. Or maybe that’s the nostalgia talking?

I’m begging for that. Really really hard to be worse

Never seen a basketball player make as many mistakes as Bona. It’s just one blunder after another.

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State from Sleeper76ers on twitter saying that the Sixers shot 0/12 on wide-open threes in Game 1 against Boston (per NBA stats)

Yes, the Sixers got blown out Sunday because they missed a lot of makeable shots.

But it's also pretty crazy that they could've shot 83% on open threes and *still* lost that game

damn that's a good bracket name