Last Gasp for Lottery Balls

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Sixers fans were subjected to an unhealthy amount of stress Tuesday night, as thanks to its implications on the Miami Heat draft pick, they had to endure a punishingly awful basketball game between the Wizards and the Pacers . Despite the game meaning nothing to Washington, the Wizards were seeking revenge against an Indiana team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year (rest or injury prevention be damned). Washington led by 4 with 3 minutes left in regulation, but unfortunately, a 8-0 Pacers run temporarily derailed hope of a very much welcome Wizards victory.

As the game unfolded, John Wall missed not one, but two jumpers on Washington’s final possession of regulation that could have won the game, and Bradley Beal had a drive snuffed out by David West at the end of the first overtime (after the two teams combined to score 2 points in the first 4 minutes of the period). After the two teams had constructed a temple to inefficient long twos with the number of bricks they threw up, a huge George Hill three with 30 seconds left in the second overtime gave the Pacers a 5-point lead and a much-needed (from Indiana’s perspective) win.

Sixers fans were all over Wizards Coach Randy Wittman on social media for his inability to diagram anything offensively besides ‘let John Wall or Bradley Beal try to break down the entire defense and pray something good happened’. Now, I’ll grant you, it was excruciating to watch a peak version of the ‘clogged toilet bowl’ offense. However, what other playoff coach would not only have played his starters in an absolutely meaningless game, but kept them in through 2 overtimes? Every ounce of karmic justice screamed out for Wall or Beal to turn an ankle late in the game. I’m glad they didn’t, but we Sixers fans can’t blame Wittman for being a terrible coach, because the fact that he’s a terrible coach is the only reason the game was close at all.

Ultimately, that Pacers win was devastating for the Sixers because not only are the Pacers now out as a team that could drop down into the bottom 10 (and thus move Miami up, ceding their pick to the Sixers), but the Heat are officially eliminated from the playoffs. This means that even though they can still finish with the the 11th worst record if Brooklyn loses to Orlando, the Sixers lose to the Heat, and the subsequent coin flip for a tie breaks in the Sixers’ favor, Miami is now completely incentivised to lose tonight’s game. Instead of having an outside shot to make the playoffs, they now have no other goal aside from ensuring they kept the 10th pick in the draft. So the Sixers are now looking at a steady diet of Shabazz Napier long jumpers. Tonight’s game may be the first in NBA history to see the teams purposely score on the wrong baskets.

In addition to the Miami pick, the Sixers also would be wise to lose tonight in the event of a corresponding Knicks victory. Just 1 game behind New York entering play, the Sixers would move into a tie for the 2nd-worst record with the Knicks if they can ‘catch’ them on the season’s final day. The two teams would then split ping pong balls, giving the Sixers a few more percentage points in regard to their odds at the first overall pick. The Knicks are facing a Pistons team locked into their lottery spot, so who knows what might happen there.

So let tonight be your grand finale in this long tanking experiment, Mr. Hinkie! I want to see Furkan Aldemir do everything in his power to make his first three-pointer of the season (he’s 0-5 thus far). Thomas Robinson looks at times like he wants to play point guard; go ahead and give him a shot. The team brought in Glenn Robinson III to get a look at him, but he has had 10 DNP-CD’s in 19 games. Why not let him run the full 48 minutes? As much as I love watching Noel play, for the love of all that is holy among the lottery gods, do not let Nerlens retake the court. Maybe Ish Smith’s groin injury flared up in Monday night’s game and he needs to take a seat?

The possibilities are endless and I’m sure Hinkie has thought of some tanking strategies beyond the scope of the average onlooker. The season ends tonight, but if the Sixers could finally catch a break or two, they might set themselves up pretty well for the future.