I guess I can't say that anyone is really surprised by the developments of this season, but I will say I'm moreso dissapointed than anything. Even though this team wasn't expected to do anything special, at the very least as a fan of the Sixers (yes, they still exist) it's so unfortunate that this team continues to dwell and stall in last place.
When watching the Sixers there's a sense of inevitability that some how, some way the team will find a way to lose and when a fanbase feels that way about a franchise, the Wells Fargo Center begins to look the way it looks.The positives for the 76ers are few and far between, but they are there. For one, the team is on a two games winning streak, which is their first such streak this season and their first two game winning streak since March 26th of last season.
The Sixers (5-13) beat the struggling Portland Trail Blazers last night 88-79 and they did it by playing suffocating defense. They held the Blazers to only 11 points in the fourth quarter and the Sixers went on a 15-4 run that basically iced the game.
Coach Doug Collins played everybody and their momma last night...well almost everybody. Darius Songalia didn't the call, but everyone else who got into the game scored and for the most part the Sixers keep up their energy throughout the second half. Which is something they haven't done many times this season.
Guard Andre Iguodala told CSNPhilly's Dei Lynam that he thinks the Sixers are improving on the court.
“I could just tell by the way we were playing we had that unity there as far as making the extra pass. The little things like making the extra pass, our rotations, guys saying I got to get there, just small things that I could see with the guys. The big things we do well. We go after rebounds, we try to box out, we try to play hard every night and when you play hard you give yourself a chance.”
It's nice to see consistent effort out of the Sixers becauseI feel that's the one thing we've seen out of the team this year, is an effort to win even though the energy level sometimes doesn't match.
Though, the toughest situation the Sixers are dealing with right now is the poor play of Evan Turner. The number two pick in this year's draft has not lived up to anyone's expectations and going back to summer basketball has looked unready to play at the level expected of him.
Last night, he went 0-4 in 19 minutes of action and had one point with two rebounds, two steals and three assists and in his last four games has totaled only seven points on 2-14 shooting. Turner looks way too passive on the offensive end, he clearly a smart player and doesn't make big mistakes on the floor, he has a turnover differential of +2, he knows how to make plays but just hasn't made them consistently.
Well the Sixers are and will continue to be a work in process and hopefully we can see significant progress this season so we can start to feel a little better about basketball in Philadelphia.
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