Loading ...2/28/13 – On Thursday night's matchup, the Sixers traveled to the United Center to take on the Chicago Bulls. Doug Collin's post-game tirades following the embarrassing loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday voiced all of the frustrations that Sixers fans have dealt with this season. Everyone knows the roster is incomplete and appears to be one of the worst in the NBA, but it took putting forth absolutely no effort against the Magic for Collins to finally snap. He's frustrated like all of Philadelphia is with the Sixers effort the season and the now evident realities of the porous Bynum trade. With the outlook of the season and the future growing dark everyday, all Sixers fans can hope is for the team to fight. Maybe a nationally televised game on TNT would do the trick.
Read more... Join the Conversation...Philadelphia 76ers Bested by Chicago Bulls, Lose 7th Straight.
February 28th, 2013 at 11:09 PMBy Ian Kingsbery
Collins Rips Team as 76ers Continue to Show Lack of Heart
February 27th, 2013 at 1:56 PMBy Ian Kingsbery
Sitting at 22-33 and after their 6th straight loss, 76ers Coach Doug Collins finally voiced his extreme displeasure with his team. Tuesday night's 98-84 loss to the lowly Orlando Magic was seemingly the final straw and the coach held nothing back to the media as he ripped his team to shreds.
"I wish I knew. I really do. I gotta tell you. I'm sitting there." he said. "I gave my body to this franchise. I was never booed as a player. Never. I ran through my sneakers."
Collins was responding to the poor effort displayed by his team and the reaction that the home fans had. The Sixers were booed off the floor at home on a night when everyone seemed to give up. The Sixers' 12-13 season that started with so much promise, now looks like the team is farther in the hole then since Collins first arrived.
The Bynum trade doomed the Sixers for this season and whether or not he ever puts on a Sixers uniform, which is unlikely, the team needs to figure out its identity and show some heart. Coach Collins, although he is usually very pushy and stubborn, seems to have lost his energy and his locker room.
Read more... Join the Conversation...Game Preview: Philadelphia 76ers Vs. L.A. Lakers
December 16th, 2012 at 3:29 PMBy David Donnella
Slowtime’s coming to town!
Tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers(12-11) play host to the floundering Los Angeles Lakers (10-14). As is usually the case with the biggest team in the NBA, most of the narratives around tonight’s game center on the Lakers.
The one Sixer-centric plot that we won’t see played out is how Andrew Bynum plays in his first game against the team that drafted him and with whom he helped win 2 championships. Mostly, though, the drama swirling around this game has little to do with the Sixers.
The Lakers have struggled to meet the lofty expectations heaped upon them when they traded for Steve Nash and Dwight Howard before the season started. Those expectations were even further raised when they hired offensive genius Mike D’Antoni to replace coach Mike Brown after five games. Unfortunately, those expectations haven’t come close to being met. Yet.
The Lakers have been plagued by injuries, and outside of their top five, they’re not a particularly deep team. When that’s combined with the fact that they’re integrating new personnel and coaching schemes, their subpar record makes sense. And, consider this, despite the Lakers sub-.500 record; they have a positive point differential. That’s an accomplishment the Sixers can’t put on their resume right now.
Read more... Join the Conversation...Sixers Still Have No Cure for Mad Cow Disease
December 13th, 2012 at 2:18 AMBy David Donnella
Despite a nice performance from Jrue Holliday, the Sixers fell to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night 96-89.
It was an ugly game that the Sixers lost, but that doesn’t necessarily make it an ugly loss for the Sixers. The Sixers and Bulls are essentially in the same camp, they’re both above-average teams—nothing more. The difference is that the Bulls are the best above-average team in the league, capable wringing their resources to the absolute maximum, while the Sixers are more dependent on their talent. Last night’s grind out game favored the Bulls style.
There was also a startling free throw disparity, 26-11 in favor of the Bulls. The Sixers didn’t even capitalize on the free throws they got, shooting only 45% from the line. Once again, that’s the kind of stat that makes all the difference in slow paced games. In fact, the Sixers won many of the statistical battles, they shot better, they rebounded better, and they blocked more shots. But it’s almost a guaranteed fact that the team that shoots more free throws will win a close game.
Read more... Join the Conversation...Game Preview: Philadelphia 76ers Vs Chicago Bulls
December 12th, 2012 at 1:55 PMBy David Donnella
Happy Twelvepocalypse!
Tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers(11-9) play host to the Chicago Bulls(12-9). Tonight’s game is the second in a season series of three games. The Bulls won the first meeting in Chicago, 93-88. Since that December 1st game, the Sixers have gone 2-2, while the Bulls have gone 3-2 after last night’s loss to the Clippers.
The storyline coming in to this game is the Sixers lack of production from their bigs. Statistically, the two best rebounders on this team are Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young. The trio of Lavoy Allen, Spencer Hawes, and Kwame Brown are averaging just 13.2 rebounds per game—a full rebound less than ET and Thad. It’s hard to know how the Sixers can get improved play from their Centers. Spencer Hawes is rebounding at the same rate that he has for his entire career, same with Kwame Brown when adjusted for playing time.
The good news is that the Sixers core of Jrue Holliday, Evan Turner, and Thaddeus Young has been steadily improving, particularly Evan Turner, who has finally found some offensive consistency. The Sixers might have a lot of glaring problems *cough* Andrew Bynum *cough* but at the very least, they have a young core that they should be able to rely on.
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