Camden, New Jersey — philadelphia 76ers guard tyreese maxi He said he was happy that Saturday’s film session took place after a disappointing Game 3 loss in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Boston Celtics Was full of candid and honest discussions between myself and my teammates.
“I think the biggest thing today was that we were real with each other, and that’s good,” Maxi said. “The family has to be real with each other. The family has to express themselves. They have to express the emotions that they’re feeling and you have to get it off your chest.
“And I think we’ve done a great job all year.”
There were a lot of emotions to take out of the disappointing Game 3 loss – one that saw Maxi and james harden Combine to go 7-for-30 from the field, including 2-for-14 from 3-point range.
As a result, while the media was in the gym on Saturday, Maxi spent a solid hour shooting, including some inside work shooting at defenders, in an effort to regain his touch after he said he had missed several in Game 3. times lost it.
“Yeah, just trying to stir some of that up and just get my touch back,” said Maxi, who went 4-for-16 in Game 3. “I think I lost it in the last game, and that’s really what I was trying to do today. Just get my touch back, get my rhythm back.
,[Sixers coach Doc Rivers] was on me He said he felt like I started the third quarter with confidence, and then he said he felt like after I missed a shot or two, my confidence stopped, and I stopped being aggressive and then came back to this issue. Tried to suppress.
“I stayed confident and aggressive throughout the game.”
Rivers had similar criticism for Harden, who went 3-for-14 in Game 3 after going 2-for-14 in Game 2. This is his worst shooting performance in two consecutive games in his entire NBA career, including both the regular season and the . playoffs.
The decline came in the wake of Harden’s greatest playoff game ever – his 45-point explosion to lead Philadelphia to a Game 1 victory without the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. joel embied – made it even more jarring.
Still, while Rivers said he thought Harden was generally making the right plays in Game 3, he said the 76ers needed to play with more force in terms of attacking the basket as a group. as the series goes on.
“I thought we didn’t play hard enough,” Rivers said. “We didn’t get into the paint enough, and we can do that. I really did. They’re helping everybody’s drive, so they’re getting guys in, so James has to make the right decisions. And Overall, I think he was one out there where I’m sure people thought he could hit the ball, but he was going to his right … But, to me, his passer being our Not a bad thing.
Overall, though, Rivers said the message to his group was that no matter how the first three games played out, there could probably be a best-of-seven series after three games with a 2-to-1 margin that it As it stands now, that doesn’t change regardless of whether Philadelphia won a game in Boston or at home.
And, he added, the Sixers now have a chance to even the series with a Game 4 win at home. Maxi said the message, in particular, resonated with him on Saturday.
“Our backs against the wall,” Maxi said. “We’re going to go out there and compete very hard. I know every guy on this team, we’ve done it all year. We’re determined. When people [doubt us]We go out there and we prove them wrong.”
Rivers echoed those sentiments, saying that a series that fluctuates and swings back and forth in terms of emotion is something teams just have to navigate if they want to be successful.
“It’s part of going through a playoff piece. It’s emotional terrorism at times, and you have to deal with it. You have to be able to handle it. Or, you lose. And, I said, it’s part of it. You Gotta be able to deal with it and handle it. I thought, after watching the film, we were in a much better place than before.”
