The Philadelphia 76ers made a key blunder in the final seconds of their loss to the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first round on Sunday.
76ers guard Kyle Lowry was fouled with 7.5 seconds left and his team down by four, setting up an interesting strategic situation. ESPN cameras caught Lowry gesturing to the 76ers sideline indicating that he planned to intentionally miss the second free throw as long as he made the first. That would have given the 76ers a chance at an offensive rebound and another possession while down three points.
That message did not seem to transfer to some of the other players, however. Lowry did make the first and miss the second, but on the miss, there was no urgency from Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. to try to crash the boards for the rebound.
Don't know where the communication breakdown came from on the Lowry FT – but you can see Lowry talking to Nurse about intentionally missing the 2nd one. pic.twitter.com/RKOPMzPxIR
— Coach Gibson Pyper (@HalfCourtHoops) April 28, 2024
It certainly looked like, at the very least, Maxey and Oubre missed the memo. Maxey in particular did not even make an effort to move toward the lane to try and get a rebound.
Perhaps the 76ers do not get the rebound even if everyone on the floor gives max effort. However, it is not great that nobody seemed to know what the plan was at such a pivotal point of the game. Whether that is on Lowry for poorly communicating his intent, the bench for not properly informing the rest of the team, or the team itself for simply not paying enough attention is anyone’s guess.
The Sixers blew Game 2 in ugly fashion and certainly did not look sharp at the end of Game 4, either. Their late-game execution in the series has left a lot to be desired.
