Getty Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers
After the Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Celtics’ official Twitter account decided to take a shot at the Sixers’ old slogan, “Trust the Process,” after winning the series.
TRUSTED THE PROCESS
This is in reference to the Sixers’ slogan called “Trust the Process” back when Sam Hinkie was the team’s general manager from 2013 to 2016. Hinkie mentioned the “process” when he was first introduced by the Sixers on May 14, 2013, then mentioned that he told then-coach Brett Brown that there had to be “trust” in said process. The slogan caught on so strongly that NBA MVP Joel Embiid coined the nickname, “The Process,” among others.
The Sixers were rebuilding around the exact time in which the Celtics drafted the two players in the picture, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, both of which were selected no. 3 in their respective drafts, 2016 and 2017, two slots after the Sixers had the no. 1 overall pick, which they used on Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, respectively.
To add insult to injury, the Celtics’ Game 7 victory came on the 10-year anniversary of Hinkie’s hire by the Sixers.
Sunday’s Game 7 between the Sixers and Celtics is the 10 year anniversary of Sam Hinkie being introduced as Philadelphia 76ers general manager.
The Process comes full circle.
James Harden Called Out For Game 7 Performance
After James Harden’s Game 7 performance against the Celtics, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com called out the Sixers’ star for his bad outing, going as far as to say that his bad play hurt the team.
“However bad or lethargic you thought Joel Embiid was at times in this game, James Harden was several levels worse than that. Harden wasn’t just bad but spent most of Sunday’s game actively undermining the Sixers as the rest of the group did their best to try to make up for the putrid efforts of the stars,” Neubeck said.
Neubeck went as far as to say that Harden’s style of play does not translate in the playoffs, as evidenced by his history of postseason failures.
“That’s part of what Harden doesn’t get in these moments, why he has so often come up small in these moments — you simply cannot win a title by just exploiting rules and hoping that you get the right whistles for four straight rounds. He takes himself out of games and out of the playoffs by hoping he can run to an adult every time there’s even a marginal rule break. Most of the time, you are going to have to deal with the problem yourself.”
Doc Rivers Addresses Game 7 Loss
Though the Sixers did not achieve what they wanted this season, head coach Doc Rivers believes they had a great season, and it’s a good step in the right direction despite the loss.
“I thought we had the right group. I really did,” Rivers said, via The Associated Press. “We played great all year, and this loss absolutely diminishes what we did this year in some way. … I think this team is headed right. I thought we took another step this season. And then tonight, I think we took a step backward. But that’s OK. That happens, too.”
Though Rivers believes it’s a good step forward, the fact remains that the Sixers have still not advanced past the second round since they first made the playoffs with Joel Embiid back in 2018.
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