76ciology wrote:One thing to be cautious about on our part is that the Knicks have two starting-quality bigs with 10 fouls to give. This will really test Embiid's conditioning, as there won't be any rest for the full 48 minutes.
Nurse could also keep hunting Brunson and exhaust him. Taking away Brunson could leave a big hole in the Knicks' offense.
It will be really hard for Brunson to operate with Embiid able to stay in the paint and provide help defense, while being defended individually by 6’8” to 6’9” defenders like Oubre or Batum. Brunson's in-between game consisting of fakes and pivots will be hard to pull off under such defensive pressure.
If there was series where a double big lineup could be helpful, it's this one. Reed is an effort guy. Knicks are not a tough team to defend, but Reed could get back in transition and crash the boards on both ends.
I think Joel should be used as a decoy and dho guy primarily. But, if they are willing to go one on one with him Even with 2 good centers, that's a huge win for Philly. He'll score and get to the line easy. His few one on one opportunities vs Bam on Wednesday were good possessions.