Nov 12 2008
Sixers’ struggles continue, lose to Jazz
Over-hyped is probably the best way to describe the 2008-2009 Philadelphia 76ers. After overachieving last season and signing Elton Brand, the Sixers looked as if they were going to take a big step forward and be contenders in the Eastern Conference. Instead, this team seems as if it has regressed and/or crumbled under the pressure of lofty expectations. In my opinion, the main reason that the Sixers began to play well after they traded Allen Iverson in December 2006 despite a perceived lack of talent was that they were written off by every expert and subsequently had no expectations to succeed. However, now that everybody actually expects them to be good, they don’t look like they can rise to the occasion. After a 93-80 loss to the Utah Jazz, the Sixers are now a very disappointing 2-5 so far this year.
The Jazz took a 26-20 lead after the first and led 49-37 at halftime. Despite the early adversity, the Sixers actually had a flash of brilliance and blew Utah’s doors off in the third quarter, winning the period 30-14 and taking a 67-63 lead into the fourth quarter. However, it was all downhill from there, as the Jazz scored 13 of the first 15 points in the fourth, with nine of them from Ronnie Brewer, and never looked back. The Sixers cut their deficit to five at one point, but they never got any closer as Utah cruised to a win.
Carlos Boozer was an absolute monster in the paint with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Deron Williams was rusty his season debut for the Jazz, scoring 7 points with 9 assists in 31 minutes. Brewer picked up a lot of the slack for Williams, scoring 16 points to go along with 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. Off the bench, “AK-47″ Andrei Kirilenko added 16 points, 8 rebounds, and a block while teammate Paul Millsap had 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. If Marreese Speights develops into a player like Millsap this season and can provide double-digit scoring and 6+ rebounds off the bench, I’d be a very happy person. I don’t want Speights’s ceiling to be Millsap, but if he could be that type of player during the second half of this year, that would be huge.
Andre Miller led the way for the Sixers with 25 points and 6 assists. Andre Iguodala had another nice game with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and a block. It was the second consecutive game that Iggy filled up the stat sheet. Sammy Dalembert had 11 boards and 2 blocks, but only had 6 points. I thought he’d be good for at least 10 and 10 this year, but so far it hasn’t worked out. Thaddeus Young had a tough night, scoring only 9 points on 3-of-15 shooting, but he did have 11 rebounds 4 assists, and a block. Thad has been getting buckets all year, so one bad night is nothing to really worry about. The bench was non-existent again. Louis Williams had five, Speights had four, and Kareem Rush had three. Willie Green, Reggie Evans, and Royal Ivey? Nada, Zip, and Zero, but Evans and Ivey played a combined 6 minutes so they can’t be expected to do much.
Elton Brand had another disappointing showing scoring 13 points to go with his mediocre 5 rebounds. It sure looks like GM Ed Stefanski got fleeced by Brand and his agent David Falk. The Brand signing is just as bad as the trade that ex-GM Billy King made for Chris Webber. Unless he actually starts playing like the 20 and 10 player he was advertised to be, signing Brand may actually turn out to be worse than the Webber deal since Brand has absolutely crippled their cap indefinitely.
On Wednesday, the Sixers travel to Toronto to take on the Raptors. In their first meeting this year, the Raptors spoiled Philadelphia’s home opener with a 95-84 win. Hopefully the Sixers can even the season series in Toronto.
Now, let’s get to the pick for the NFL’s Thursday night game. Home team in CAPS:
New York Jets (+3) over NEW ENGLAND
Rationale: Brett Favre has had New York’s offense rolling in recent weeks. New England’s D may have too many injuries to overcome. I also don’t know if Matt Cassel can win a big game. However, Bill Belichick may have a trick or two up his sleeve.
Last Week: 9-5
Season: 77-64-3
