Sixers' Doc Rivers Forced To 'Coach On The Fly' In Game 1 Win

While the play-in tournament was underway, other teams had a week to prepare for the start of the postseason. The time off allowed the Sixers to do something they haven't done much of this season, practice.

Once they found out who their opponent was going to be, it also gave them added time to prepare. The Sixers went into Sunday refreshed, with a game plan, while facing a team who just had to scratch and claw to make it there.

When preparing for this matchup, it was clear Joel Embiid was going to be a focal point. The Wizards do not have the skill or depth at the center position to contain a player like Embiid.

This tactic had to be scrapped early on in game one. After picking up three early fouls, Embiid was forced to sit for most of the first half.

Tobias Harris took it upon himself to carry the load while Embiid sat in foul trouble. He scored 28 points in just the first half, keeping the team afloat in the process.

Doc Rivers spoke about this situation after the game. Saying he thought the team handled it well when plans had to be scratched early on in the game.

"It's funny, you make all these plans, you have a week of planning, what your rotations and everything is going to be, and then a guy gets in foul trouble, and everything gets thrown out the window. Then you have to coach on the fly, and I thought our guys overall reacted to it very well," said Rivers.

Being put in a predicament like this was a good test for the Sixers. Anything can happen in the playoffs, and they need to be able to adapt on the fly.

Having to stray away from the game plan in their first playoff game wasn't a great situation to be in. But this group showed they could handle drastic changes in a big moment.

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.