If you are looking for an explanation for the 76ers’ loss in Game 4 in Atlanta, you can find any number of credible theories after the game. Joel Embiid is terrible, their defense is often terrible, they don’t move the ball, etc. But when asked about this game, head coach Rivers thought of one thing.

“We stopped passing,” Rivers said Monday. “I thought we started the game this way, and then we went back to the sport of ball, and then we went back to hero basketball. Basically, everyone wants to be a hero, not just trust the team and each other. So When you do this you usually lose, especially when another team beats you in the entire f-king game, which is what they did today.”

“We must be overworked there,” Tobias Harris added. “They got 50/50 balls, offensive rebounds, all the way to the line. I mean, give them trust, they did it. In the second half, they did a good job, just defending, and we missed some people watching Outside, it hurts us.”

For all the terrible things that happened in the game on Monday night, the 76ers still If they just promise to complete possession in the last five minutes, then they have a chance to be unscathed.Damn, they could have completely beaten Atlanta One With possession of the ball in the last few minutes, they may have been enough to get this game over the baseline.

Even this is too much for Philadelphia. John Collins thought of many games in this series as an afterthought, and was shy early in Game 4, but he dashed through the 76ers in the second half and rushed directly through the lackluster penalty area to grab rebounds. .

The biggest game took a little more than two minutes, and the 76ers led by 4 points. Philadelphia forced Bogdan Bogdanovic to take a tough shot and had an inside position to pull his turnovers, while Collins just bullied Tobias Harris from his position to expand possession. Moments later, he threw a three-pointer from the bottom corner, and his hopes of expanding his weak lead were dashed:

“I’m very disappointed in what we did tonight,” Rivers said. “I think Collins was the toughest guy on the court all night. You will see other people’s statistics, but I think Collins is the man tonight, hitting the ball all night and staying alive. I just think they are “A stronger, stronger team. Tonight is not over yet. “

For any team that can advance to the deeper rounds of the playoffs, overwork and exhaustion are a potential problem, but when your identity has basically always been a bigger and worse team, the situation is It becomes particularly difficult. The 76ers are in their season with the second-ranked defense in the NBA. The three players are Just selected for the All Defense Team, And a core duo of 6’10” or higher. Their reasons as competitors have always been based on the idea that they can physically overwhelm the team and maximize their opponents by getting rid of what they want to do. Reduce any worries about your offense.

So far, the contention argument has performed well in the playoffs, but just when the 76ers seemed to stop the series, it was dismantled. Suddenly, the 76ers’ worries in the short and long term seemed more urgent.

For most of his 76ers’ career, the first problem at the moment was Joel Embiid’s health. On Monday night, Embiid returned from the locker room and played a wonderful final game before halftime. His performance may be his halftime value this season and the worst he has ever played in the playoffs. One of the halftime. Embiid made 12 attempts in the second half, Even one half of Embiid could prepare the 76ers to take a place in the conference finals. According to ESPN Stats & Info, in the past 25 playoff games, halftime players have the highest shooting percentage.

Since being diagnosed with a small tear in the meniscus, Embiid has been battling with issues related to his health, and he has apparently struggled with some pain on the floor at times, making faces and between reigns Bent over to stand. Looking back at his fourth game and the resulting health problems, Embiid was not interested in the specifics.

“I mean, I think this is already known, I don’t need to explain myself anymore,” Embiid said of his trip to the locker room in the middle of the game. “As far as I can…in terms of 100%, I don’t think this will happen before the end of the year. So I just need to continue to manage it and deal with it.”

When you participate in a high-stakes playoff series, it’s easier said than done. Embiid had a chance to take the lead in Philadelphia because Rivers made a late decision during the last timeout, rolling to the basket after setting a screen for Harris’ elbow. He himself admitted that a healthier Embiid could have done it, or at least could force Atlanta to foul.

“I just don’t have an elevator,” Embiid said after the game. “Maybe fouled too, but usually I go there, especially buckets like this, and try to dunk. Try to get fouled and get one and one. But for obvious reasons, I can’t seem to be able to jump… It’s hard, but you know, it must [fix it] To the fifth game. “

The 76ers have a shorter break between games 4 and 5 than the rest of the past two games, as they return to Philadelphia and take a day off on Tuesday, then play a crucial series on their home court Game control of the game. They did not go home with a double-digit advantage at halftime like the Eagles did, and instead of having enough room for error, they found themselves in an unstable position and hope the star admits that lack of outburst will not let them die. spiral.

You can’t shake the feeling that all this could have been avoided. Maybe it’s because the team admitted a lot and was disappointed to go home in this state.

“That game shouldn’t have been there,” Rivers said of Embiid’s last-minute turnovers. “We missed too many opportunities… I can’t wait to watch this movie, but my eyes tell me that we missed a golden opportunity tonight.”

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