The Sixers went from 3-13 to 13-21; good for 9th place.


Who says you can't go home?

After two-and-a-half grueling weeks, the Sixers have finally returned to Philadelphia after concluding their longest road trip of the season. While their 3-5 record on the journey isn't all that remarkable, the trip could be considered moderately successful, given the circumstances.

Andre Iguodala missed the last four games of the trip due to a sore right Achilles' tendon. Lou Williams didn't play in two games due to the birth of his daughter, and Spencer Hawes was out against the New Orleans Hornets on Monday night because of back spasms.

A 4-4 record under any conditions would be a great road trip. But to pull out three wins when 3 of the top 6 guys in your rotation miss time is a pretty decent effort.

On and off of the court, the past eight games have been an adventure, if nothing else. It all began in Orlando on December 18, with the Sixers pulling out a victory against a Magic team that had traded away nearly half of its team earlier that day.

Three nights later, the Sixers were blown out by the Chicago Bulls 121-76. But much to everyone's surprise, they fought the Boston Celtics tooth-and-nail the following night, and only lost by four points, 84-80.

They alternated wins and losses for the next four games until they arrived in the Staples Center on New Year's Eve. Without Andre Iguodala, and with Kobe looking to improve on his 9-point effort in the teams' first meeting earlier this year, it didn't bode well for Doug Collins's squad.

So, of course, they found themselves tied with the Los Angeles Lakers with 90 seconds to go before Bryant iced the game with a 12-footer - the game-winning basket in a 102-98 Lakers' win.

On Monday night, the Sixers looked every bit of a team that was just playing out the string. "Lifeless" would be the best word to describe their performance during the final three quarters against the Hornets, finishing the game 19-for-66 from the field.

Despite all of that, the Sixers return to the Wells Fargo Center 13-21, solidly in the 9th spot in the Eastern Conference - pretty much where they were when the trip started. But even after these past 17 days, we haven't learned much about the team that we didn't already know.

34 games into the season, Evan Turner remains an enigma. In Phoenix on December 29, he had his best game of the year, scoring 23 points in the Sixers' 123-110 victory. However, in the other seven games of the road trip, he shot a combined 16-for-62 (25.8 percent) and even racked up a DNP-CD (Did Not Play - Coach's Decision) against the Boston Celtics on December 22.

Simply put, Evan Turner doesn't do anything exceptionally well. He's a solid defender who gives you 100% effort, and he rebounds well for his size. However, he isn't a very good shooter (38.8 percent on the season) whose jump shot is somewhat of a liability.

With Iguodala out for at least another three games, Turner should get some additional experience that will prove invaluable down the road. But there are and will be some growing pains - a side effect that many fans didn't expect with a player selected #2 overall in this year's draft.

On the flip side, Thaddeus Young appears to be developing rather nicely under the tutelage of Doug Collins. Despite his decreased scoring output (11.7 PPG vs. 13.8 last season), Young is a more effective player than ever, shooting a career-high 54.2 percent from the field.

Unfortunately, he's stuck in a logjam at small forward with Iguodala, Turner and Andres Nocioni. So that, along with the fact that the Sixers decided not to extend his deal earlier this season, means that Young might take his emerging game elsewhere next season.

One young star who won't be leaving any time soon is Jrue Holiday. One of the benefits of hiring a former point guard as a head coach (Collins) is the fact that he can impart his wisdom on a player such as Holiday, who is fast become one of the better PGs in the East.

He's second on the team in scoring at 14.3 points per game, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is an impressive 2.4 to 1. Holiday is clearly part of the team's foundation, and as he grows, so will the Sixers.

The 76ers will have plenty of chances to grow over the next few weeks. With a travel-heavy schedule early in the season (20 of 34 games have been on the road), comes a reward. 27 of the Sixers' final 48 games are at the Wells Fargo Center, where they've played pretty well this year (8-6).

Even though the roster is the same, this is a different team than the one that started the season 3-13. So with the help of a little home cooking, Doug Collins and his young squad could finally start to put it all together.
Continue Reading...

Losing Iggy will mean more time for Evan Turner.


Sixers' forward Andre Iguodala will miss the next five games due to right Achilles tendinitis, the team announced Friday morning. In 25 games this season, Iguodala is averaging 14.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists.

Including Wednesday's contest against the Phoenix Suns, Iguodala had already missed seven games this season because of the same injury. His next scheduled on-court activity is January 10, with the goal of having him return the following night against the Indiana Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center.

Clearly, the player who stands to benefit the most from Iguodala's absence is rookie swingman Evan Turner. When Iguodala has been out of the lineup the year, Turner has averaged 13.1 points per game, nearly double his season average of 6.8 PPG.

So although Turner appears the most comfortable at point guard, he's going to get a lot of work at the wing positions over the next couple of weeks. With the Sixers visiting the Staples Center tonight to face the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, Turner's baptism by fire begins now.

For this and more Philadelphia sports breaking news, please visit here.
Continue Reading...

The Sixers must learn how to be a consistent winner.


Several times this season, the Sixers' inability to close out games cost them a chance at a victory. Last night, the Los Angeles Lakers gave a clinic on how to finish strong, scoring 35 points in the 4th quarter en route to their 93-81 victory over the Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center.

Despite an off-night by Kobe Bryant, who scored only 9 points on 3-for-11 shooting, the Lakers turned on their championship form when they needed to, ripping off a 27-6 run that began late in the 3rd quarter to put the game out of reach.

"They cranked it up a little bit on us," said Sixers' coach Doug Collins following the game. "That's what championship teams do. That's what we aspire to do."

One day after Lower Merion dedicated a new gymnasium in Bryant's honor, the Sixers almost put up enough bricks to build a new gym themselves. In front of their second capacity crowd of the season (the home opener was a sellout as well), the Sixers missed their first 11 shots of the game.

Fortunately for them, the Lakers didn't score on their first few possessions either. After Sixers' center Spencer Hawes provided the first points for his team nearly five and a half minutes into the game, the team finished the period strong and wound up leading the Lakers 21-18 after the first quarter.

The energy in the building was palpable, and it clearly buoyed the Sixers after their slow start. The 18 first quarter points for the Lakers were the fewest they've scored in the first period of any game all season.

The Sixers kept it close for the majority of the first three quarters, despite the fact that their starting backcourt of Jrue Holiday and Jodie Meeks went scoreless in the first half. Holiday and Meeks finished the game with 12 points on 4-for-22 shooting (18 percent).

Their performance, or lack thereof, was nearly offset by the brilliant play of Hawes. It almost sounds like the proverbial broken record, but once again, Hawes continues to improve every time he steps out onto the court. In addition to his solid defense against the Lakers' big men, he filled the stat sheet last night with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists.

The performance of the night, however, clearly belonged to Lakers' forward Lamar Odom. Picking up the slack from Bryant - who sprained his right pinky finger early in the game - Odom scored a season-high 28 points to go along with 8 rebounds.

In the Sixers' defense, players like Odom and Lakers' forward Pau Gasol present a difficult matchup for pretty much any team. So despite the marked improvement they've made since the beginning of the season, they'd have to play nearly flawless basketball to pull out a victory against the two-time defending champions.

Despite all of the excitement in the actual game, the biggest cheers came when Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick and his fiancee showed up late in the 3rd quarter, much to the delight of the 20,366 in attendance. Chants of "M-V-P, M-V-P" rained down upon Vick, who was given his courtside seats by Laker Matt Barnes.

It should be noted that last night's game marked the first DNP-CD (Did Not Play - Coach's Decision) in the brief career of Evan Turner. Andres Nocioni - who hadn't played in the previous three games - got the bulk of the minutes that typically go to Turner, presumably because Nocioni's shooting prowess gives the Sixers better flexibility on the offensive end.

After yesterday's game, the Sixers don't play at home again until January 5. Tonight's game in Orlando is the start of an 8-game road trip, with many of the matchups against the class of the NBA.

Games against the Magic, Bulls, Celtics, Lakers and Hornets will quickly test the character of this young team. But if they can play the way they have been over the past couple of weeks, don't be surprised if they return to the Wells Fargo Center a far better team than they were when they left.
Continue Reading...