The Wizards-Sixers series is proving to be a show with Philadelphia fended off a frisky Washington team in Game 1 by a score of 125-118. Despite the loss, there’s optimism on Scott Brooks’ club that the team can bounce back in Game 2.
Bradley Beal, who had 33 points on 13-of-23 shooting, said he felt like some of the younger Wizards who hadn’t been in the playoffs were a little shell-shocked in their first playoff moments. The shooting guard believes the team will bounce back with a ‘different mindset’ on Wednesday.
“It’s a whole new level and a level that has to be played every possession,” Beal said of the postseason vs. the regular season. “We’ll definitely have a different mindset in Game 2.”
Tobias Harris has a podium game
Joel Embiid came out aggressive but foul trouble limited his early impact (although he still had 30 points on the day). That was alright because Tobias Harris was there to step up, scoring 37 points in the 125-118 contest.
“I know one thing that I bring to this team, night in and night out – somebody who’s going to play to win. That’s what I hang my hat on,” Harris told FortyEightMinutes and other media in Philadelphia.
Harris said that it was months of work that led to this one night of success. Preparation and maintaining a good mental mindset through the highs and lows of the season was something that he’s been stressing to his younger teammates.
With all of the NBA’s interviews still being conducted via zoom, there really aren’t ‘podium games,’ where the best player gets a platform in the playoffs. However, if we were in a traditional season, Harris would have had his moment.
Russell Westbrook wasn’t happy after the loss
It’s no secret that winning is of the utmost importance to Russell Westbrook. He was noticeably unhappy in the postgame zoom. He did answer all the questions from the media, even the one about where he was called out of bounds late in the fourth.
