The Hawks had no answers for the Sixers in the paint
Thanks largely to Joel Embid and Tobias Harris, the Sixers have outscored Atlanta, 110-84, in the paint over the first two games.
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Atlanta had just lost Game 2 to the 76ers, 118-102, Tuesday to even their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series at one game apiece, and interim Hawks coach Nate McMillan was asked about how Clint Capela guarded Joel Embiid.
Did that question really need to be asked?
Embiid, who scored a personal playoff-high 39 points in Sunday’s 128-124 loss to Atlanta, topped it by putting up 40 in Tuesday’s win.
“He’s a problem down in the post,” McMillan said of Embiid. “We’re trying to mix up our defenses with them. At times I think he is getting too deep. Our double teams are not getting there quick enough.”
That was a pretty good analysis, but what is the solution?
Capela is a solid defender, but at 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, he doesn’t have the size, strength, or speed to match up with Embiid, who is listed at 7-foot, 280. Embiid’s combination of power and speed makes him a nightmare to cover.
“He has pretty much had his way in the first two games down on the block,” McMillan said.
And what has to be disconcerting to McMillan is that Embiid isn’t the only problem. The Sixers’ size and ability to get to the basket has definitely hurt the Hawks.
Forward Tobias Harris has gotten to the basket at will in averaging 21 points over the two games. During Tuesday’s win, Harris scored 22 points on 11-for-19 shooting. In looking at his made field goals, eight of them were from 5 feet or closer. In Game 1, six of his eight field goals were from 2 feet and in.
With defensive specialist De’Andre Hunter having missed the first two games with right knee soreness, the Hawks haven’t been able to contain Harris one-on-one, especially down low.
Compounding the problem, the Hawks announced Wednesday that Hunter has a small tear in the lateral meniscus and will undergo season-ending knee surgery. The 6-8 forward from Friends’ Central was the fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft.
Due largely to the work of Embiid and Harris, the Sixers have outscored the Hawks in the paint, 110-84.
Atlanta can attempt to double- and even triple-team Embiid, but he has been good at reading the defense and finding the open man.
Seth Curry has shot 10-for-15 from three-point range in the two games and has been the beneficiary of Embiid drawing double-teams.
The Sixers established themselves in the blocks early in Game 2, with a 24-10 first-quarter advantage in points in the paint.
The length of the Sixers has also hurt the Hawks when they are on offense. Trae Young, the Hawks’ 6-1 point guard who shot 1-for-7 from three-point range Tuesday, said he had open looks but didn’t hit them while being guarded by 6-10 Ben Simmons.
While that is true, there were open looks, Young had to work extra hard when Simmons was guarding him. And when Simmons blocked a Young three-point attempt, it signaled that shots might be more difficult to launch against the defensive player of the year candidate. He went 6-for-16 in Game 2 after shooting 11-for-23 in Game 1.
The Hawks are a team that likes to get out in transition, not one that prefers to muck it up inside. In the first two games, the Sixers have beaten Atlanta at its own game.
In Game 2, the Sixers outscored the Hawks in fast-break points, 20-9, giving them a 36-18 advantage in the two games.
Atlanta has had trouble dealing with the Sixers in the half court and in transition.
Game 3 is Friday in Atlanta. McMillan says adjustments will have to be made. The Hawks can’t keep allowing the Sixers to have such inside dominance.
In looking at the numbers, the Hawks have to feel fortunate that the series is tied.