Pros and Cons: Sixers vs. Heat Game 6

Welp.

Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.

---

Usually, I open Pros and Cons with a brief preface that sets the stage for me to elaborate on three things I found interesting. But, tonight, there’s only one thing to discuss. Here we go:

Con: In Memoriam: the 2021-22 Sixers eliminated

Unfortunately, I can’t honestly say I’m surprised to be writing the following words: after a tumultuous regular season riddled with controversy and a postseason full of obstacles, the Sixers finally took their final breath tonight, falling to the Miami Heat in six games.

Their greatest moments certainly struck fear in the rest of the NBA, but those flashes ultimately were fleeting. This team was just not good enough to overcome the aforementioned barriers in its way -- especially when you account for which players had to deal with them the most.

With Joel Embiid returning from a concussion and wearing a protective mask, while also dealing with a facial fracture and a torn ligament in his hand that will require surgery, it probably was never realistic that the Sixers could go all the way. To no fault of his own, Embiid simply was not the same player in this series that he has been for the past two seasons. Without the MVP-caliber version of Embiid, this team never stood a chance.

We saw that tonight, as Embiid was miles below the standard he’s set for himself. And he didn’t get any help, either — truthfully, Shake Milton giving the Sixers a brief scoring burst made him the only player on the team who didn’t come up small tonight.

Let’s be honest here: when James Harden arrived in Philadelphia, the hope was that Embiid would have a sidekick capable of taking over in games when he didn’t have his best.

There’s no question that, despite his brutal effort tonight, Harden was a very good player this season who made the Sixers considerably better. But outside of his Game 4 explosion against Miami, Harden did not look like the full-blown superstar capable of dominating a playoff series that he was as a Houston Rocket.

The biggest decision for the Sixers to make this offseason is how to handle Harden’s possible pending free agency. While I do have several concerns about his aging, I would like to see him back next year. For as long as Embiid is this great, the Sixers will have some chance of winning a championship. Bringing Harden back helps maximize those odds, even if the last few years of a potential long-term deal are difficult to manage.

Then there’s the Doc Rivers question -- Rivers has not exactly endeared himself to the fanbase over the course of his two years in Philadelphia, and there are valid questions surfacing about whether or not he is equipped to take this team where it needs to be. I continue to believe he will receive at least one more chance to lead this team, as the aforementioned obstacles at least give him some excuse for the team’s lack of considerable improvement.

The Sixers are entering yet another pivotal offseason. The difference between this one and most prior offseasons is that I actually have some trust in the people making decisions. Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey handled this year’s Ben Simmons saga well, and has shown the ability to succeed even when dealt a tough hand. Nobody is perfect, and that especially applies to this organization, but at least there is some reason for optimism.

We’ll evaluate everything in the offseason here moving forward, but for now, this is another wasted year of Embiid’s prime. I firmly believe Embiid has it in him to be a champion. The question remains: can the same be said for everyone around him?

PS: THANK YOU!

This was a wild season, and I am deeply sorry for all of you that it ended this way. But I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every person who kept up with my reporting this season. It’s been an honor and a pleasure representing Team Ricky at the arena, and I can’t wait to do it again. We’ll have you covered with all of the offseason content you could ask for. But for now, I just want to express my gratitude to all of you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.