Bobcats Pounce on Short-handed Sixers in 110-84 Rout

By Sean Kennedy

Were you curious about how many games the Sixers might lose without Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner, and Spencer Hawes on the roster? Try all of them. With Philadelphia’s three holdover starters getting the preseason game off, the Sixers were absolutely annilihated by a Bobcats team playing without Al Jefferson due to a right ankle sprain. So to recap, facing a roster basically the same as the Bobcats’ 21-61 juggernaut from 2012-13, the Sixers fell behind by 30 at halftime, ultimately falling by 26. We may see this elite tank squadron lineup again toward the end of the regular season if Philadelphia is in danger of losing pole position for the first overall pick.

The starting frontline of Lavoy Allen and Royce White was unable to keep Bismack Biyombo off the glass early on, as his 3 offensive rebounds in the first 5 minutes helped the Bobcats jump out to a 12-0 lead. Philadelphia shot just 2-15 in the first quarter, with things only snowballing from there in what will hopefully be the team’s least inspiring effort of the preseason. I’m not sure how much we can really take away from this contest but let’s give it a shot anyway.

Box Score

Notable Observations:

• The game began before noon, due to the 9th annual Cool School Field Trip,  where ‘the game is a reward for middle school students, teachers and administrators from across the Carolinas who display outstanding achievement and character in the classroom’. Having to watch the Sixers and Bobcats play basketball might be misconstrued by some as a punishment, although I’m sure the young fans in attendance enjoyed the Charlotte romp.
• New Sixer Daniel Orton was actually the first man off the bench as Brett Brown tried to insert some size into the lineup to better control the boards. Orton did record 4 blocks in the game so perhaps he could fill the defensive shot-blocker role down the road that the team so desperately needs.
• Tony Wroten led the team in scoring with 20 points, although he was far too reckless with the ball, committing 6 turnovers. However, the flip side of that recklessness is the aggression that led Wroten to finish 9-12 from the free throw line. He was remarkably the only Sixer to attempt a free throw until Vander Blue walked to the charity stripe with less than two minutes left in the third quarter.
• Speaking of Blue, with he and Khalif Wyatt reportedly battling for one roster spot, it would appear Blue has the upper hand. While Wyatt was inactive for this contest, Blue stepped up with 15 points, including 3-5 shooting from downtown.

Tanking Implications:

The Sixers now know they can guarantee themselves a loss any time they need one by benching their best three players. Still, it would be encouraging to see more signs of disciplined play from some of the young guys on the roster. 4/5 Tanks.