Sixers Return From Break with Cavalier Attitude

By Sean Kennedy

With the trade deadline looming and rumors swirling about the potential departures of several Sixers veterans, the team could have gone in a couple different directions. Philadelphia either could have rallied together for one last us-against-the-world stance in what might be their final game together, or they could have basically thrown in the towel and waited for Thursday to roll around. Given the way the majority of this season has gone, how do you think things shook out? Even in the midst of what is now a 9-game losing streak, the Sixers put forth possibly their most listless performance of the season in a 114-85 smackdown by the Cavaliers.

The Sixers were dominated on the glass, getting out-rebounded by a 61-44 margin and allowing 21 Cleveland offensive rebounds in the process. While the team was busy not getting to any loose balls, Cleveland was getting out in transition for easy buckets against a disinterested Sixers defense. On one occasion, Spencer Hawes put up a three against a Cavaliers zone; somehow following the miss, Tristan Thompson got behind the entire Sixers team for an easy finish on the other end.

Offensively, Philadelphia also threw in their usual mix of unforced turnovers. I don’t think the notes Michael Carter-Williams picked up over All-Star weekend included tossing passes into the third row, but unfortunately, that happened far too frequently as the rookie racked up 7 turnovers against just 1 assist on the night. The Wells Fargo Center crowd started vehemently booing the team’s effort throughout the third quarter, a rare sound even in the midst of a losing season. The Sixers have been bad on plenty of occasions this year, but Tuesday night was one of the rare times where it looked like they didn’t even care.

The win was the fifth-straight for Cleveland, their best winning streak since March 2010 when LeBron was still on the team. Receiving another start for the injured Anderson Varejao, Tyler Zeller had 18 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, playing with an energy none of the Sixers appeared interested in matching. It spoke volumes to the effort (or lack there of) by the Sixers that Cleveland was able to so easily dominate the contest without a huge performance from star point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving was relatively quiet with just 14 points and 3 assists, as Cleveland headed into halftime up 21 despite just 6 points from him. The next time the Sixers take the court, GM Sam Hinkie will likely have made performed some wheeling and dealing and reshaped the roster. If tonight would be how things continue to play out for the current iteration of the Sixers, Thursday’s deadline can’t come soon enough.

Box Score

Notable Observations:

• I continue to feel bad for Malik Rose because you can tell how hard it is for him to be positive about the team when guys are loafing out on the court. At one point, Arnett Moultrie more or less wandered aimlessly back on defense rather than sprinting to the paint and picking up his man. Rose definitely wanted to rip into him, but instead, talked about how guys not getting playing time have to be ready when their number is called and brought up his time playing behind Tim Duncan. The announcing team is why of the few reasons lately how viewers can draw any enjoyment from tuning in to these games.
• Despite what you might think, this game was actually not the premiere tanking battle in the NBA Tuesday night as the Bucks and Magic did battle in Milwaukee. Fear the Deer was in full effect, as Milwaukee pulled out their 10th win of the season, meaning the Sixers are 4 games apart from the worst record in the league (or the highest odds for the lottery depending on how you want to look at it).

Tanking Implications:

Not many positive vibes to draw from the young guys during this performance. MCW was able to get into the lane and score on a few occasions, but for all his gifts, no one would call Kyrie Irving even an average defensive player so the Sixers rookie should be able to do that. Plus, again, 7 turnovers. James Anderson hit a couple threes but was pretty much a non-factor overall. With the losses continuing to pile up, Sixers fans just have to turn the standings upside down and tell themselves it’s all building toward a brighter tomorrow. 3/5 tanks