Prior to last night’s game, Sixers Coach Brett Brown and Wizards Coach Scott Brooks both told the media what they expected to see from their respective teams during the game.
Coach Brown, whose team was in the midst of a seven-game win streak, wanted to see incremental improvement as his team marched towards the playoffs. He also mentioned that the Wizards were reluctant to double-team post players, so he expected to see Joel Embiid exploit Marcin Gortat and Ian Mahinmi.
Coach Brooks had two main concerns: Slow starts and the length of the Sixers. In the last two games against the Sixers, the Wizards faced double-digit deficits in the first quarter, and Coach Brooks attributed those slow offensive starts to the length of the Sixers’ starting five.