Paul George reveals key fix that must be made after 76ers' loss to Cavs
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The Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers as Joel Embiid returned to the sidelines on the second night of back-to-back. The 126-99 defeat showed the massive differences between the Cavs’ offense and the Sixers’ Embiid-less offense, which relied heavily on Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.
George shot poorly against a staunch Cavs defense, leaving much to be desired aside from a highlight-reel-worthy crossover and jumper. He explained that his and the Sixers’ stagnation on offense needs to be sorted out.
"Just player movement," George told reporters in Cleveland when asked what the Sixers have to tighten up. "I think we gotta move a little bit more. I gotta move a little bit more. I thought tonight was a poor effort on my behalf of just moving, a lot of it was stagnant. I’m gonna see a lot of loaded-up defenses so I gotta move a little bit better. I gotta run the floor a little harder. Same stuff I’ve been saying but I gotta be consistent on that front to allow myself to get some easier opportunities."
Paul George says 76ers’ offense needs more movement
The 76ers’ philosophy on offense has been to trust their stars to cook and create open shots by drawing double teams. When Embiid isn't a part of the lineup, the formula is not enough to compete with most good teams. With Jared McCain recovering from a meniscus tear, the Sixers lack the firepower to compete with teams like the Cavs, owners of the best offensive rating in the NBA.
The Sixers usually begin possessions with some screening and a set to open up room for one of their stars but beyond that, the offense becomes a one-on-one battle with everyone else spotting up or standing in the dunker’s spot. When those battles are lost, it becomes extremely difficult to score.
Against the Cavs, George didn't attempt a single shot within 10 feet of the hoop. Cleveland’s twin-tower lineup dissuades rim attempts against everyone but for a star player to not get any downhill pressure is not a good sign. The Cavs were mostly able to guard him one-on-one, risking a George heater but preventing him from creating offense for the team. Maxey shot well from deep and got some buckets in transition but he, too, was held in check on most half-court possessions.
As the 76ers look to bounce back against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, they're not only looking to pick up a win in their last home game of 2024 but also set a tone to carry into their road trip.
"We want toplaywellgoingintothis West Coasttripcomingup," Paul George told reporters. "Tryto takecareof this nextgame.Lookatit fromthatlens,moveonfromtonight. Tonightwasatoughone but [we’ll] moveonfromtonight,getreadyforSanAntonio.They’ve been playingwell, sothat’ll be agoodchallengeforus.Obviously, [the] bigfella [will be] backout there again. Nowwe’re gettingmomentumwiththatunitthat’s out there."
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