CAMDEN, N.J. — The biggest issue plaguing the Philadelphia 76ers in past playoffs has been the minutes when Joel Embiid is on the bench. The Sixers always seem to falter when Embiid is off the floor, and it puts so much pressure on the big fella in the postseason.
That wasn’t the case on Saturday in a Game 1 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The Sixers ended up winning the non-Embiid minutes as that group stepped up and stretched the lead.
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After the win, James Harden mentioned he was having ongoing conversations with coach Doc Rivers to help the non-Embiid group. Rivers went into those conversations on Sunday at practice.
“Oh, a lot,” Rivers said of the talks with Harden. “When we go with the non-Joel group, and let’s be honest guys, that hasn’t been a great group all year, and we’ve been switching guys. Early in the year, James wanted no one else on the floor, but Trez (Montrezl Harrell) because he felt he’s the better offensive player. We tried to convince him that