PHILADELPHIA — Ask any of the Sixers' players or coaches about what is different as they enter Wednesday's Play-In game against the Orlando Magic and the answer is universal — attention to detail.
The postseason doesn't forgive a missed offensive assignment, or a defensive failure. Plays are magnified this time of the year, and all know it.
But the details for players differ. Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and VJ Edgecombe will need to carry the offense without Joel Embiid, sidelined after having an appendectomy on April 9. Quentin Grimes will need to provide the offensive spark off the bench while the likes of Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond and perhaps Dominick Barlow or Justin Edwards will need to provide loads of help in every area.
The winner of Wednesday's game moves on as the seventh seed and will face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs beginning this weekend. The loser will host the Charlotte Hornets in an attempt to move on as the eighth seed and face the Detroit Pistons.
For Adem Bona, the detail is kind of different.
Whether the second-year center will be in the starting lineup against the Magic or coming off the bench won't be known until closer to game time. Against a highly physical team like the Magic, it would seem that Drummond would be the coach's choice to get the majority of minutes at center. But Bona does provide more mobility down low, more able to get out on perimeter play with enough quickness to recover in the lane. Also, Bona is susceptible to foul trouble. Should he start and that becomes a problem, Nurse might be forced to play Drummond more minutes than he is comfortable.
"It's exciting that we're playing at home and it gives us a pretty good chance to make it to the playoffs," said Bona after the team's shootaround at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. "I'm pretty excited. It's more detail, more focused days. The little things that can make a huge difference. Studying the other teams a little bit more. Just more intense.
"I think the best way to go about it is to just listen to everything, you can't just focus on one side of it, no matter if it's the point guard or the big. You have to know what the point is going to do so you can predict what to do. It's just locking into everything they say."
Bona's energy is undeniable, but also sometimes troublesome. His eyes, at times, get too focused on the ball and that leads to plays happening behind him at the defensive end. His desire and ability to block shots is admirable and sometimes jaw dropping, but also takes him out of position and leaves for offensive rebounds. It's kind of a take what you get, live with the mistakes. That, of course, gets so magnified now.
"I think that I've been zeroing in on the opportunity that I have in front of me to potentially be playing huge minutes in a Play-In game. As a year-two player, that's a huge opportunity for me. With Joel being out, we have to try to fill the void as much as possible and help the team perform at the top level."
They'll need that against the Magic, winners of five of their last six and a team that is rounding into full health after some injuries this season.
"One thing that stands out about them is their physicality," he said. "They play pretty physical, they attack the rim, they're fast. I think the main thing for me is the physicality, try to impose our will, don't let them push us around. I think that's the main thing for me."
Maxey, George and Edgecombe have to be what they are. It is the next level of players that need to be able to provide the other intangibles that may be needed in order for the SIxers to move on. Bona is certainly a big, if not the biggest, part of that.
