The 76ers have a 1-0 record, unbeaten in the season series against Washington, and feel they can clean up a lot of things before the second game. With Joel Embiid’s foul trouble, poor transitional defense and many other problems in the opener, a more comfortable victory on Wednesday night is a realistic goal.

In the second playoff game between the 76ers and the Wizards, what should we expect and pay attention to? I am glad you asked.

Can the 76ers clear the defense?

Just after the first game on Sunday, Doc Rivers made it clear that their defense in the first half was not good enough.

After the game, Rivers said: “I didn’t like all of this in the first half.” “In the first half, what I want to say is that their 20 points came from our confusion in the transition, guys ran back to their own men, guys Did not play. I mean, this team forces you to put the ball on the ball and then back to your guy in all the teams, I don’t think we did a great job, I think that’s great in the second half, so Tomorrow we have a blueprint and we will pass.”

After several days of thinking about the game and reviewing the movie, Rivers had no better explanation for their defensive performance. In fact, his list of questions is so long that it saves reporters from listening to most questions.

“Does not match, run towards your own man-partner running is what we call it, there is a ball in front of you, but your man is next to you, you start running with him instead of standing in front of the ball-then communicate. You know, if you Want me to name them, and two or three more.” Rivers said. “But, it’s funny, man, you worked for a whole week, and then it happened, you looked around, but we did fix it in the game, it’s a big deal. And I think Washington did attract our attention. Through their way of playing, there is no doubt about it.”

Throughout the season, the transitional defense has been a major punch for Philadelphia. They have always believed that when the game starts, they can clean up the mess. Even if Rivers believed that the Wizards made a call to wake up the playoffs, the jury still opposed it.

If you are an optimist, you can look at this kind of early offensive disaster and other assets and convince yourself that all you need to do to solve this problem is everything. This is not a chaos in position, or even a transitional offense, because this is the 76ers’ quick scoring after the game:

As far as Rivers is concerned, the 76ers’ defense in the second half, especially during the transition period, certainly looked better. The Wizards scored only 4 points after the intermission, compared with 14 points in the first half. Even so, it feels like it is not enough to make up for the gap in performance. They deserve the benefit of doubt now, and after a week of rest, Philadelphia is back to the rhythm of the game.

Cross race

If the game is really in danger, then Doc Rivers’ decision to merge with George Hill and Seth Curry to end the game may be subject to more scrutiny. In fact, Hill’s outstanding performance in the first game and his performance in the end of the group have caused people to question his role this week. Rivers pointed out that this may depend on the game and the situation.

Rivers said in Tuesday’s practice: “To be honest, it’s all situational to me.” “If George plays well, it won’t hurt you. It will work, especially in some cases. When you need an extra ball handler, that’s when George came to play for us. I think we eliminated four ball handlers stretching along the floor at the same time because they were trapped, we just thought him One of the people who can handle it.”

Hill’s offensive contribution is sufficient to justify his playing in a large position, but the defensive quirks may be the reason Hill needs to play late in the game. It all depends on the decision that Scott Brooks saw in the opener how to manage his rotation, and few people would accuse him of being a particularly creative coach.

Before Hill returned late in the fourth quarter, Curry played against Wizards bench forward Davis Bertans, who played well in the reserves on Sunday afternoon. The 76ers are obviously willing to defend the Bertans with a smaller player. Shake Milton guarded him at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but Curry had problems with his defense at critical moments.

Usually, you will see this size difference and say that it poses a threat to Curry and may be pasted or outlined in the process of his layup. But since Bertans is on the periphery like he is now, this difference hurt Philly in another way. When Curry struggled to track Bertans’ movement (with or without screen), it was difficult for him to play decent matches due to his lack of explosiveness and length, as well as Bertans’ rapid triggering power. At a critical juncture on Sunday, it once hurt the 76ers:

Bertans plays a more important role in the series is a strong reason. Although he will not be the first in the scout report, a sports shooter can make your defensive tactics very different from your game plan. We will see if it will ultimately affect how the 76ers choose to split it up at a critical juncture.

Washington’s reinforcements

Sticking to this point, you can make a strong argument that three top performers in Washington came off the bench on Sunday, namely Bertans, Daniel Gafford and Ish Smith. Smith’s pace is a problem for the 76ers before they lock in. Gafford’s activity and athleticism have an impact, and Bertan’s shooting has been discussed above (and emphasized).

On the other side of the coin, striker Rui Hachimura is completely a disaster to defend Tobias Harris, using his experience and the power of an adult man to teach young opponents. Bradley Beal performed well on the offensive end, but backcourt partner Russell Westbrook is not. Scott Brooks will have to consider whether 40 points in a game of more than 40 minutes will be to a certain extent. Lower income.

“Someone who plays better” and “make sure your stars have enough rest” are simple, and considering how close the first game is, simplicity is where Washington starts from the adjustment. But my expectations of Brooks are not high, at least not yet.

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