In spite of their failures and angry mobs at the door, the Philadelphia 76ers buckled down and shut down the Atlanta Hawks to force a deciding Game 7 Sunday. Philadelphia returns home as another big online betting favorite at -300 to finish off Atlanta for good. The Hawks are +250 underdogs.
Philadelphia had been a favorite throughout this series even with their consecutive meltdowns. But they beat Atlanta on the road despite dealing with questionable officiating and a ho-hum offensive performance from Joel Embiid. Returning home to Philly, they can put up their best performance and win.
Team Previews
Hawks: All in Trae
Win or lose, the Atlanta Hawks and Trae Young have made everyone notice. The third-year star has carried his team offensively with averages of 30.3 points, 11 assists, and two steals this series.
Young did all he could to help Atlanta finish off Philadelphia in Game 6 but it was all for naught as his team shot just 41.3% from the floor. F John Collins and G/F Bogdan Bogdanovic combined for 14 points on 5-of-19 shooting while G Lou Williams, a Game 5 hero, went scoreless in 11 minutes.
It was one of the ugliest games of the series as both teams played lockdown defense. But Atlanta fell just short. Now Young and the Hawks will once again have to make magic and “steal” another game in Philly. Hopefully, the Sixers are not any wiser.
76ers: Undeterred
Even with their gutsy win over Atlanta, most fans are leery of the Philadelphia 76ers. You can’t blame them as coach Doc Rivers has a history of letting down fans. But what the Sixers showed in Game 6 is that they can focus for 48 minutes and come out with a win. They still are the better team.
The Philadelphia 76ers replacing Brett Brown with Doc Rivers
Bobby, No Flay (@JBeans_15) June 17, 2021
The NBA odds are pretty steep, but the Sixers’ defense should come through. Offense is another thing. Philadelphia shot just 40.9% in Game 6, by far its worst mark in the series. Prior to that, this team has been scoring at will: 51.2% from the field and 42.1% from three.
Embiid had just 22 points on 9-of-24 shooting while Ben Simmons had six points and five fouls. G Seth Curry is still shooting lights out and F Tobias Harris bounced back. All in all, expect a more complete performance from the favorites.
Pick: Finishing the Job
This was the exact same header I used for Game 6 but with the lean on the Hawks. They had their chance and things couldn’t have broken any better for them. Philadelphia shot poorly. Simmons was MIA. And they were getting most of the calls. Alas, the Sixers survived.
Going back to Philadelphia, the Hawks will need to deal with the Sixers who are averaging a 115.2 offensive rating with a 60.9 true shooting percent (TS%). Embiid will not be held to 37.5% shooting again. He’s averaging 38.7 points and shooting 56%. Curry will continue to light it up from deep. And Simmons will have a bigger impact.
Philadelphia should be able to have a dominant showing against the Hawks. Expect the 76ers to close out this series with a double-digit win as they return to the Conference Finals for the first time since 2001.
Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -7 (-110)
Bonus Pick: Slam Dunk
They will not be contained. Philadelphia is due for a big game. They are averaging 116 points at home and 121 prior to their Game 5 disaster. Embiid, Curry, and Harris should combine to score 80% of the team’s points while Simmons staying out of foul trouble will be much better for the offense.
