Are James Harden, Joel Embiid and Sixers ready to make a deep playoff run?
PHILADELPHIA — Are the 76ers all set for the 2021-22 NBA playoffs?
The answer is they're going to have to be.
The Sixers will have most of this week to get ready for their opening-round series with the Raptors that begins Saturday (6 p.m. on ESPN) at the Wells Fargo Center. Their regular season ended with a 118-106 victory over the Pistons at the Wells Fargo Center while resting stars Joel Embiid and James Harden on Sunday night.
The winner of the fourth-seeded Sixers-No. 5 Raptors series will face the winner of the top-seeded Heat and the No. 8 seed from the play-in tournament in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.
What are the chances the 51-31 Sixers can make it to the conference finals for the first time since 2000-01? The franchise is 1-10 in the second round dating back to 1984-85.
If they do, Embiid, who has a legitimate case to be MVP, will be a big reason why. He is as close to an unstoppable force as there is in the league. Embiid became the first center since Shaquille O'Neal in 1999-2000 to lead the league in scoring with a 30.6 average this season, as well as the first big man since Moses Malone in 1981-82 (31.2) to average 30 points.
"I don't think people realize how hard it is for a center to lead the NBA in scoring," said Sixers coach Doc Rivers. "It's so much easier for guards because they have the ball and can shoot whenever they want to. … We've had some games where the guy's been trapped every possession, then he gets 40. Explain that. That's hard. It just tells you how dominant he's been."
Over his last four games, Embiid averaged 40 points average while shooting 54 for 95 (.568) from the field, to go along with 15 rebounds. He also attempted a total of 57 free throws and led the NBA with 11.8 foul shots per game.
While trade-deadline acquisition Harden has been excellent initiating the offense, the Sixers need Harden to score more and shoot a higher percentage to increase the chances of a deep postseason run.
After averaging 26 points on .592 shooting from the field (29 for 49) and .500 on 3-pointers (12 of 24), plus 12 assists and 7.5 rebounds in his first four games as a Sixer — all wins — Harden's field goal percentage has dropped to .363 (86 for 237) and his 3-point percentage to .291 (34 of 117) over the last 17 outings — 10 of which the Sixers won. He's averaged 19.7 points, 10.1 assists and 6.3 rebounds during that span.
"I'm not shooting the ball well, but I'm putting the work in every single day," said Harden after Saturday's win over the Indiana Pacers. "I'm still going to take those shots and (am) confident that they're still going to go in."
Rivers said he has no concerns about Harden physically. The Sixers staff has told Rivers that Harden's strained hamstring that sidelined him earlier this year is "in a very good place" and his conditioning is fine, too, according to the coach.
As for Harden getting some of his explosiveness back, which would allow him to score more easy baskets, Rivers said that's one of the things the Sixers will work on this week.
"Him being a little more comfortable helps that a little bit, too," Rivers said. "I think there's a lot of things in play there."
The Sixers are counting on Most Improved Player candidate Tyrese Maxey to handle a bigger role than he did as a rookie reserve guard a year ago, which seems reasonable based on his rapid progression and upgraded 3-point shooting.
Can Tobias Harris be as significant a factor in the fourth quarter as he tends to be during the first three periods? How much can 34-year-old Danny Green contribute?
Rivers has to determine how deep to go with his rotation. The five starters, including Green, plus reserves Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Georges Niang and the backup center (likely Paul Reed or DeAndre Jordan), would be the probable rotation for home contests. Thybulle will be unavailable for the games in Toronto due to not being fully vaccinated, so Rivers could decide to only play eight in Canada.
While they need contributions from everybody Rivers calls upon, Harden should tip the scales in determining just how far the Sixers go.
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes; @TomMoorePhilly