5 Sixers thoughts after their Game 1 stinker in Boston

Well, even the little sliver of optimism I had for this Sixers-Celtics series evaporated rather quickly on Sunday. Boston was dominant and the Sixers looked out-classed in every facet of Game 1. It looks like it’s going to be a long week for Sixers fans as their team marches their way to inevitable doom. Until then, I’ll hit our loyal readers with a fresh “5 Sixers thoughts” column…

The Sixers’ backup centers continue to flounder

Andre Drummond had a stellar evening during the Sixers’ Play-In win over Orlando that ran counter to how horrific it was to watch him on the court throughout the regular season. That didn’t carry over to the first round of the playoffs in Drummond’s 21 minutes of play, as the Sixers’ big was a negative on both ends of the court.

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That’s before even getting nominal starter Adem Bona, who, in 14 minutes of play, appeared entirely out of place in an NBA playoff game. He should not be allowed to dribble the ball in transition ever again.

Sure, the Sixers are always going to be at a frontcourt disadvantage whenever Joel Embiid is out, but that’s a problem a dozen years in the making. The team has failed to get competent reserve big men play for the whole duration of the Embiid era even with it being a guarantee that Embiid will miss significant time annually.

All things considered, at least this is far less important than Greg Monroe being a -9 in under two minutes of play against Toronto in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals, right?

Paul George’s effort is awful

From a pure efficiency standpoint, Paul George’s Game 1 performance was passable. He had 17 points while shooting 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from deep and going 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Watching the actual game unfold, however, told a different story.

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George’s defensive effort, maybe more than anything I witnessed on Sunday, infuriated me. The Sixers are going against likely the best wing tandem in the league with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. There was no Embiid waiting at the cup to protect the rim. I know he’s about to turn 36 years old and…


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Publish date : 2026-04-20 19:17:00

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