The Philadelphia 76ers are doing some serious soul searching right now.
They are facing elimination from the playoffs after a devastating 120-85 loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.
For much of the season, the 76ers looked like they were working well as a unit and fixing the problems that had plagued them so often before.
That wasn’t the case on Tuesday.
More Doc: "I haven't said that very often about us, and that’s on all of us. That’s on me to make sure they’re ready, and that’s on them to be ready. Tonight, we were not.
— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell) May 11, 2022
No one is more aware of that than head coach Doc Rivers.
Speaking after the game, Rivers was very blunt about his team’s shortcomings.
“Everything (Miami) did tonight was harder and better. Their stuff was better than what we ran. Their energy was better. Their toughness was better.”
He continued: “I haven’t said that very often about us, and that’s on all of us. That’s on me to make sure they’re ready, and that’s on them to be ready. Tonight, we were not.”
Do Rivers and his team have what it takes to right the wrongs and get back on track?
Lopsided Loss
Losing to the Heat on their home court wasn’t too surprising.
In fact, both teams have won all of their home games so far in this series.
However, the major margin of victory was a bit shocking and showed just how dominant the Heat were over the 76ers.
That is what will need to change in Game 6 if the 76ers hope to stay alive in the postseason.
Even with Embiid playing, Philadelphia looked sloppy and confused and like a bunch of amateurs.
They would have lost at home if they played like that.
The good news is that the team sees just how poorly they performed and they are eager to make changes.
They have to: their season will be over if they perform like that again.
NEXT: Joel Embiid Discusses The Reality Of His Current Situation