I’m going to write this, but I’m not yet fully decompressed. That was a tough one. Have you ever read a book about economics or psychology and come across the principle of “loss aversion?” I think that one got me this evening. Once the Philadelphia 76ers put up a sizable lead over the Clippers (tonight no Kawhi Leonard, missing another game with the sore foot) I sort of...accepted that the Sixers were probably going to win (despite not having two starters in Tobias Harris or Seth Curry). And that made the idea of them losing far worse emotionally on me than if they never generated a big lead in the first place.
Here is the principle, per Wikipedia, who would love your donations:
“Loss aversion is the tendency to prefer avoiding losses to acquiring equivalent gains. The principle is prominent in the domain of economics. What distinguishes loss aversion from risk aversion is that the utility of a monetary payoff depends on what was previously experienced or was expected to happen. Some studies have suggested that losses are twice as powerful, psychologically, as gains.[1]”
So when the Sixers opened the game 20-3, due to a Mike Scott 3, a Danny Green 3, some Joel-doing-what-Joel-does best Joel Embiid dominance MVP stuff, I admit it...I accepted victory. Also, my best friend texted me at 8:13 PM this evening to say “Bens a monster tonite fax only.”
When Furkan Korkmaz made it 15-3 on a 27’ pull up, I began counting my chickens. “Dude, not only might this help the Sixers get home court throughout the Eastern Conference, there’s a non-zero chance that it might also tip the scales in their favor for home-court if this were to be a finals preview.” Member when Doc Rivers as HC of the Celts stuck a bundle of cash in the Lakers’ visitor locker room in order to send the message to his troops “we’ll be back here for the finals?” That’s kind of how I saw this one. Potentially.
But the game wound up terrifying and shaving multiple years off all of our lives.
The Sixers, thanks to Joel Embiid, dominated the free-throw battle, they went 22-30. Is Joel the best free-throw shooter ever among all the league’s best dominant big men? But the three-point line was quite the different tale of the tape.
The Clips went 19-39 from deep. Good for 48.7 percent. The 76ers were 14-44 from West Kater Street, just 31.8 percent. It felt like the Clips just weren’t going to miss much tonight. The rebound battle was about even. Sixers edged them out there 46-43. And the Sixers got more than twice as many steals 13-6, and more than twice as many blocks (7-3) thanks in large part to Danny Green who had 4 grand larcenies and Korkmaz, who has clearly been training with Matisse Thybulle lately, and had 3 thefts of his own. Green also had 2 blocks. He did not shoot well but he was a “stocks” or “slocks” monster.
Oh and...he had Greenland, one of the iciest countries in his veins.
Danny Green makes both his FTs (with a smile).
— Lauren Rosen (@LaurenMRosen) April 17, 2021
106-103, @sixers, 9.8 sec left.
Ben Simmons filled up the boxscore. 12 points, 6 assists, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. He certainly didn’t hurt his campaign for DPOY this evening. And Joel? Well, what can we say? When Joel Embiid has been active and available in a game this year, he has been pound for pound the best basketball player on the planet. He was again this evening. Dude dropped 36 points, 14 rebounds, 16-18 from the free-throw line. Sheer. Dominance.
But those Clippers wouldn’t go away. Paul George scored 37 and kept things afloat for the boats. It was also Pat Patterson night, it seemed like he was just as good as Kawhi Leonard might have been. There is always someone random you know is going to crush you.
Moving on....
OH FURK. pic.twitter.com/V4IHN5nFBB
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 17, 2021
Then this....
It’s been a tough night for Shake. But man this was clutch poise. pic.twitter.com/NnL6iX1cIs
— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) April 17, 2021
Shake Milton was not playing up to his normal standards. I began to think the Sixers were going to lose. But Doc Rivers, to his credit, stuck with Shake. And Shake, who has shown a level of poise beyond his years, a level of poise that would make assistant coach Sam Cassell, Mr. Clutch City himself, very proud, drilled a monster shot. Shake was there for this team in the bubble in crunch time against the Spurs. And he was there tonight in another ridiculous situation. And, well, you see the tweet above. He knocked it down. It’s harder to knock down a high-pressure shot when you’ve played like Play-Doh. And he did. Incredible.
But it’s just what the team needed. And they executed down the stretch and got the victory. They eked it out and currently hold a 1.5 game lead up on the boring Nets. Sixers Sadie, play that song on the piano....