There's no other way to say it, but calling it like it was, the Sixers flinched, bad. When the Sixers pulled to within a point of the red-hot Mavs, a combination of bad decisions and missed free throws made Philadelphia look unprepared for such a situation.
Now we all know that the Sixers have made serious strides this season and even at 30-30 on the season are progressing greatly every night, but I didn't like what I saw in the final two minutes of play and neither did the boisterous crowd that saw free throw after free throw clang loudly off every part of the rim.Winning games late in the NBA is hard to do and it's been hard for the Sixers to do this year as they are among the bottom in the league in regards to their record in close games.
Teams like the Celtics and the Lakers and even the Suns as of late have been able to make the most of those clutch moments and as we've seen this season, finishes like those can make your season easier and propel you into a stretch of play that lifts the team in the standings and the mood in the locker room.
So if there is one thing that needs to improve with this Sixers team, it's definitely the late game nervousness of some guys on this team because the later we get into the season the tougher these games are going to get and even though the Miami Heat are also with the Sixers in relation to having an equally terrible record in close games, they have the advantage of having two top five players on their roster.
I've loved the development of guys like Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner, but we saw last night that they were not ready on a couple of occasions to make a big play and I feel that with Jrue, that big shot feel will come because he definitely has it and has displayed it at different points this season.
While with Turner, I would seriously think about limiting his late game minutes if the game is in doubt because he's still a raw offensive talent and in closing moments you need guys on the floor that can get you easy points and it's been an all season struggle for Turner to get on track, I'm not knocking him, but he's not far along enough in his development to be on the floor late in the fourth quarter.
I've been as positive as anybody regarding the Sixers this year and this right now is the most pressing concern to this roster, to become more comfortable in a late game environment when the game is in doubt.
The sane thing almost occurred in Cleveland when the Sixers almost blew a double-digit lead late in the forth quarter, finishing games is an acquired skill in the NBA and it'll take time but if the Sixers expect to be a threat going into the playoffs, then adjustments have to be made or else playoff time will come and no one will be looking at the positives anymore.
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