The Cavs won this one, but it wasn’t a pretty game, and anyone not named Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons stunk for the Sixers who absolutely played down to the Cavs, like energyless zombies. Fortunately, Rule No. 1 of surviving the undead apocalypse also served the Cavs well: cardio.
Collin Sexton and Darius Garland didn’t play well for four quarters either, but they never stopped coming. Collin Sexton’s superior conditioning took Cleveland to overtime with the Cavs’ last five points in regulation. Darius Garland, drenched in sweat, dragged the Cavaliers across the finish line grinding out ten points in overtime to win a war of attrition against an exhausted Sixers squad.