By Sean Kennedy
Apparently I picked the perfect time to leave the country, because as much as I see the benefits of the tanking approach this season, in doesn’t make for the best viewing experience when I sit down to watch each Sixers game. So hopefully the spirited efforts of my guest writers kept you entertained while Philadelphia steered into the iceberg and ripped off the turning mechanism this past week. The Sixers have now lost 6 straight and 14 of their last 16 games, trade rumors are swirling about Thad Young going to Houston as part of a potential 3-team deal, and if Michael Carter-Williams hadn’t actually been hospitalized, I’d be the boy who cried ‘tank’ regarding the bacterial infection in his knee that keeps him sidelined indefinitely.
And yet, the games must go on with the latest chapter in this dark comedy taking place in Brooklyn Monday night. At 8-15, the Nets have also put their fans to sleep this season, but instead of dreams of Andrew Wiggins and Julius Randle dancing in their heads, Brooklyn supporters have aging veterans, no draft picks to speak of, and a head coach widely derided as completely unprepared for the job. In spite of all that, Brooklyn has won 3 of its past 4 games, with Deron Williams playing well in his first three games back from an ankle injury, averaging nearly 21 points and 7 assists. However, the Nets may be without either Joe Johnson (illness) or Brook Lopez (ankle), neither of whom practiced yesterday and remain game-time decisions for tonight’s game.
The main problem for Brooklyn has been a defense that ranks as the second-worst in the NBA this season, just behind the defensive stalwarts that are our beloved 76ers. With the decrepit roster they’ve assembled, the team seems to be too slow on transition defense and too prone to reaching in and fouling rather than having the lateral quickness to stay in front of drivers in the half court. The Sixers starting unit should have no problem scoring points, but as usual, things will likely fall apart when they dip into a bench shallower than a Mean Girl.
Offensively, Brooklyn is third-best in the league at getting to the foul line, as their plodding pace often leads to them just taking turns having various guys post up. The Sixers obviously haven’t been terrific at defending close to the basket, but as we know, the true test will be whether the Nets can exploit the Sixers defense on the perimeter. Brooklyn is about league-average from behind the arc, although they are toward the bottom of the league in overall threes attempted (I couldn’t find pace-adjusted numbers on that though). But as we’ve often seen, the Sixers can make anyone look like Steph Curry out there, and maybe someone like Alan Anderson steps up and drains 3 or 4 deep balls tonight. Generally speaking, Brooklyn is ripe for the picking but I can’t seriously consider any team giving meaningful minutes to the likes of Lorenzo Brown a threat to win. Until MCW returns, the Sixers’ losses are in Speed 2: Cruise Control.
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