Sixers Get Stomped By Cavaliers After Disastrous First Quarter

The Sixers were unprepared for conflict against nan Cleveland Cavaliers' size and physicality, getting played thoroughly disconnected nan tribunal by nan extremity of nan first quarter. It was a disaster that everyone connected Philadelphia's broadside played a portion in.

Here's what happened.

Overwhelmed by size

The Sixers quickly recovered themselves taking connected water, nan Cavaliers jumping retired to an early seven-point lead acknowledgment successful ample portion to a groggy opening agelong from Joel Embiid. It was an uncharacteristically bad agelong from Embiid connected nan margins, amassing 4 turnovers successful a small little than 8 minutes of play successful nan first quarter.

Embiid's 4 hiccups wounded nan discourtesy and gave a basking Cleveland squad other possessions, but it wasn't nan only point holding nan Sixers back. All 4 turnovers were of nan dead-ball variety, meaning Philadelphia had chances to get backmost and group up connected defense.

The problems that put Philadelphia successful a spread were fundamental. They allowed nan Cavaliers to play arsenic if they had a size advantage astatine each position. The Sixers sewage crushed connected passes complete nan top, conceding scores wrong connected high-low actions. Cleveland utilized nan size advantage successful different ways, getting to nan rim quicker than nan Sixers could retrieve retired of screens astir nan paint.

Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen unit Cleveland's featured copy building look. They tin inflict harm erstwhile fixed nan state to create astir nan paint, but there's a constituent astatine which you extremity your headdress if they commencement lighting your defense connected fire. Their harm is done cleaning up rebounds, moving down nan large successful a pick-and-roll for speedy buckets astatine nan rim or, successful Moblely's case, spacing nan floor.

As nan Sixers showed small guidance to nan conflict successful nan paint, they started to pinch connected driving lanes to trim disconnected dribble penetration. But that meant a Cleveland helping was unfastened 1 aliases 2 passes away. De'Andre Hunter's first 4th was a microcosm of that. While he didn't sprout nan shot pinch prolific occurrence successful nan first quarter, Hunter sewage up 5 attempts from beyond nan arc successful 4 minutes of action.

He was unfastened from nan corners, from nan apical of nan key, everywhere. The Sixers mislaid him possession aft possession, over-helping arsenic they gave into dribble penetration. Issues connected nan protect solid bled into Philadelphia's three-point defense. The Cavaliers missed 16 shots successful nan first quarter. They sewage a 2nd chance connected 8 of those misses. If it wasn't Hunter lining up a believe 3 connected nan kickout, it was personification else.

Eventually, nan reservoir broke. The Sixers were reeling. The Cavaliers kept their ft connected nan gas. One Sixer would pursuit a shooter heavy, starring to a thrust and a kickout. Two Sixers would rotate to nan recipient of nan kickout, leaving different shooter uncovered 1 walk away. Cleveland took power of nan crippled by beating Philadelphia wrong retired successful nan first quarter.

There wasn't precisely a metallic lining astatine nan extremity of nan first 12 minutes, either. Cleveland led by 15 aft nan first 4th contempt shooting beneath 50 percent from nan section and beneath 35 percent from three. There was room for it to get overmuch worse! It was an atrocious omen erstwhile you looked up astatine nan scoreboard astatine halftime to a 13-point shortage contempt a very quiet first half from Donovan Mitchell.

Tyrese Maxey forced to play pinch his backmost to nan basket

Even nan champion person bad days astatine activity from clip to time. But this crippled was little astir a acold shooting nighttime and much astir Maxey intelligibly being bothered by Cleveland's operation of physicality and length.

He's developed a repertoire retired of nan post, uncovering comfortableness and guidance successful backing a defender down and uncovering opportunities retired of that. But it didn't look for illustration he was playing retired of nan station by prime successful nan barbaric first quarter. There were a number of Sixers possessions that ended pinch Maxey pivoting his backmost to nan handbasket because he had obscurity to spell against Cleveland's size. There were a number of touches successful which Maxey picked up his dribble retired of discomfort, nan Cavaliers' defense disrupting his attack.

It was nan ultra uncommon lawsuit of Maxey being wholly powerless successful nan paint. With Embiid sent to nan chair amid a sadistic opening agelong of his ain and Paul George quiet successful nan first quarter, nan Sixers couldn't cobble immoderate coherent discourtesy together.

If you captured nan 2 teams' styles of discourtesy from a bird's eye, nan opposition would beryllium remarkable. One squad recovered quiet existent property pinch easiness and created comfortable shots retired of that. The different was wholly stuck successful mud.

The officials could've called nan crippled aft nan first 4th and saved everyone immoderate time.

Spare thoughts

• I would ideate everyone paying attraction knew really nan Jared McCain non-garbage clip minutes were going to go. I get you request someone to eat up immoderate minutes, but it could not person been a worse matchup for him.

• It is awesome to spot George show immoderate poise and powerfulness connected discourtesy successful these stints without Maxey and Embiid early successful nan 2nd quarter. He had a brace of threes and a banked fader retired of nan station to lead nan Sixers' hunt for violative rhythm.

• It was not awesome to spot Dominick Barlow depart pinch a backmost contusion early successful nan 3rd quarter. He did not return. Something to support way of for sure.

• It was admirable to spot a bunch of guys play really difficult successful an effort to spot distant astatine a double-digit deficit. Embiid was a tone-setter successful that regard, diving into nan stands to prevention a shot successful nan 3rd quarter. Quentin Grimes and Jabari Walker had very unsmooth results successful this one, but they played highly hard. The crowd guidance to immoderate hustle plays amid a patient double-digit shortage was noticeable. Philadelphia appreciated nan effort amid an absolute stinker.

• Speaking of Walker, he'd beryllium specified a patient rotation subordinate if he could deed shots. Sounds for illustration an evident statement, but everything other astir his style is helpful. He conscionable can't find immoderate consistency from deep.