My Favorite Sixers Shot Makers & Keys to Game 6
My Favorite Sixers Shot Makers & Keys to Game 6
Not dead yet!
It’s Still Maxey Week by the way, at least until 9pm tonight when he’ll have to do it again (and then hopefully two days from now when he’ll have to go quiet down MSG once more). First things first, let’s honor my guy and my 10 favorite Sixers shot makers.
10. Dana Barros
He scored 50 on the Rockets in a pair of Mizunos for Christ’s sake. Nuff said.
9. Andre Iguodala
Love and respect to my GOAT who was robbed of a dunk contest title but who had no problem yamming on a dude or going of for a random 30 at the oddest times.
8. JJ Redick
Probably to this day, the guy Embiid misses playing with the most – that dribble handoff to quick layup or reset to three, untouchable.
7. Tony Wroten
Seems a lot better as a montage but always felt like T-Wrote was never shy about the moment or what was needed. Also he coined “Trust the Process,” so come on.
6. Lou Williams
5. Michael Carter-Williams
He really stunk up the joint later but man, that ROY season was untouchable.
4. Aaron Mckie
Sixth man of the year, that wonky jumper was always available and always hit, especially in the ‘01 season.
3. Joel Embiid
May we never underappreciate those JoJo nights where it feels like 90% of everything he throws up is going in.
2. Allen Iverson
Not much that hasn’t already been said, but man, never not appreciative of the high-level shot making and taking from our other GOAT.
1. Tyrese Maxey
AI had the killer crossover. Mad Max has the logo.
How the Sixers will win tonight
I genuinely don’t know, this series is so tight either way that I truly won’t be surprised no matter how it breaks. But here’s a few things I would look out for:
Mad Max fast start
Will Nick Nurse finally get weird? (RC4, Mo Bamba, KJ Martin?)
Find a track for BBall Paul (this is just a really tough series for him and Buddy Hield)
Nurse figuring out a way to buy Jo some air late in the game
MIKE’S CORNER: MAXEY SAVED THE PROCESS AND OUR SEASON — NOW WHAT?
AHHHHHHHHHHHH
In many ways I (self-preservation, scared money, pretty exhausted from life) started convincing myself it'd be okay if they lost. Not having to bare my soul immediately after a game on a podcast when I should be more focused at work. I could even take a few days off then start watching playoff basketball for enjoyment instead of with pure uncut dread. Maybe I'd watch a movie, I remember those.
BUT NO. Maxey touched God, and touched my cheek gently, and told me to buck the fuck up. He is the 2nd best player this team has had since Iverson and he's probably their No. 1 option in the playoffs on offense. And not just when Joel's injured btw (which, always, somehow), but even if every tendon and synapse were firing at 100% efficiency, running offense through Maxey is just a better way to generate good looks late in tight playoff games than posting up Embiid. Now, obviously Joel needs to be on the court -- see exhibits 1 through 9232389 -- but given the choice between slowly force-feeding him the ball and using him as a massive decoy while Maxey tumbles around him unpredictably fast like Sonic, gimme Sonic. Slowing it down against good defenses when Jo is 40-some minutes into playoff intensity is just not gonna work out often enough to win close playoff games.
Maxey just had to become a killer. And a killer is what he became. It saved the series only temporarily, but it absolutely saved The Process for years. Next season's going to be a very different Sixers team, but Maxey has gotten so good that any team that surrounds him & Joel will have a chance to compete. Daryl struck gold on a few minimum guys last summer, and that's been nice, but it's that non-Joel huge contract that the Sixers have fumbled since Jo first crotch-chopped his way into our hearts. Tobias. Horford. Ben eventually. You just can't have so much money tied up into such poor fits and/or liabilities. Maxey gives them breathing room, but finally nailing that 3rd guy (whether it's a full max or not) is what's going to make the difference as we enter the final few years of Joel's prime. The cap sheet is clear. You gotta get it right.
But that's not for now. Now we snort another brutally stressful Sixers-Knicks playoff game into our frontal lobes and hope Maxey does it again. There aren't many guys in this league I'd want more with the ball in his hands and the game on the line. 21st pick in the draft. Mike Muscala's godson. But it's playoff basketball, and it's the In Your House Knicks, and I'm holding on for dear life. Survive, and survive, and survive, and advance.
 | A guest post by
|