I was sure the Sixers were going to win Game 2 when Maxey hit that huge clutch 3 in the final minute. He was phenomenal.

Losing after the Knicks' two late 3s and this mess with the refs is brutal.

Kelly Oubre's defense was a real positive for the Sixers in Game 1.

He finished with 5 steals, 1 block, and did a good job using his size, length and physicality when guarding Jalen Brunson. Plenty of disruptive plays with active hands and good shots contests.

This was a brilliant pass from Embiid yesterday.

He's gotten a lot better handling/playmaking in transition the last two years, but this has got to be one of his best fast-break passes yet.

Some simple but big advantages for the Knicks yesterday:

- 23 offensive rebounds for 26 second chance points
- 40 bench points (Sixers had 7)
- Outscored Sixers by 21 points in the non-Embiid minutes (a Sixers playoff classic)

Kyle Lowry has 9 points in the 3rd quarter and we aren't even 4 minutes into the period yet.

Lowry has such good timing and instincts at both ends of the floor. Nice steal and 3-point play there.

What a relief, man. Embiid back and looking ok. Was not expecting this, but so pleased for Embiid. Just need this to last now.

Really hope Embiid is ok. This play was amazing. To suddenly end it with an injury is brutal.

Man this sucks. Embiid's self alley-oop dunk was ridiculous, only to end like that. Ugh.

The Sixers' depth has improved which obviously helps, but this is the sort of coaching creativity and adaptability that the team never had with Doc.

Today's Best NBA Reporting: tinyurl.com/559x6he7 #NBA #NBA Draft #NBA PlayIn #NBA Playoffs #sacramentokings #neworleanspelicans #Denvernuggets #LALakers Jerry Zgoda Jalen Brunson The Players' Tribune Bryan Toporek Tom West Paul Hudrick Kellan Olson Sean Highkin Elaine Blum James Ham

My latest for Liberty Ballers. I just had to write about Nicolas Batum.

On how his game-changing play-in performance perfectly showcased what he does for the Sixers at both ends of the floor: libertyballers.com/2024/4/18/2413…

Good stuff from Tom West, on the birth of the Playoff Batum legend
libertyballers.com/2024/4/18/2413…

“I think it’s a good one to get under his belt with a big scheme with a lot of intensity and a lot of minutes.”
-Nick Nurse on Joel Embiid

I wrote about his fourth quarter and while the Sixers still have a long why to go, last night was a good first step

libertyballers.com/2024/4/18/2413…

My latest for Liberty Ballers. I just had to write about Nicolas Batum.

On how his game-changing play-in performance perfectly showcased what he does for the Sixers at both ends of the floor: libertyballers.com/2024/4/18/2413…

Initially it looked like this ball got tipped when watching live.

The fact that Maxey switched hands mid-air and used his left to guide the ball in is so impressive.

The Nico Batum Game.

What a great performance at both ends of the floor to help turn around the game.

His highlights:

Just watch how well Nicolas Batum smothers Jimmy Butler on this possession.

Definition of staying ready. Only 3 minutes of playing time, but Cam Payne made the most of them. The Sixers' bench really stepped up across the board yesterday.

Nicolas Batum changed the game for the Sixers with his shooting against Miami's zone. He didn't hesitate to shoot whenever he had a little space in the 2nd half.

39.9% from 3 for the season, and 6 huge triples last night.