Brandon Apter

 

Oh, you didn't know the city had a basketball team too? A lot of people forget about the slumping franchise that is the Philadelphia 76ers but like it or not, their 2010-11 campaign is three games deep.

 

The Sixers hold a record of 0-3 heading into tonight's matchup against the also winless Wizards. The 0-3 record should not reflect the majority of the play through the first three contests. They opened the season at home against LeBron, Wade, Bosh and the Miami Heat, falling by a score of 97-87. Down 80-54 after three quarters, the Sixers staged a late rally that came up just short. Andre Iguodala scored only 10 points (5-12 FG) while Elton Brand scored 12 and grabbed nine boards. First round pick, Evan Turner, scored 16 in his NBA debut on 7-for-10 shooting, while Lou Williams contributed 16 of his own off the bench. Thad Young dropped 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting. The bench seemed to give the team a big boost and speaking as someone who watched the game, they did not look as bad as I thought they would. Jason Kapono, Spencer Hawes and Jrue Holiday combined for eight points to round out the starting five.

 

Their second game was against Josh Smith and the Atlanta Hawks. They came up on the short end of a 104-101 final but Iguodala had 27 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, and Brand had 20 points and eight rebounds. That is what you look for out of your core players. The Sixers were down 99-97 with one minute left and failed to drain a final second three pointer. Andres Nocioni's buzzer beater was blocked to halt any chance of a comeback. Kapono, Hawes and Holiday combined for only 14 in this contest, an issue that will need to be addressed in practice.

 

The third loss came as a beating from the Indiana Pacers, a 99-86 loss. Iguodala, Brand and Holiday scored 12 a piece while Brand notched a double-double, grabbing 10 boards. Williams scored 18 off the bench and Young pitched in with 11. The Sixers led 36-23 at one point but the Pacers put together a few impressive runs to take the lead for good. The teams went into the locker room tied at 51 all but Indiana came exploding out of the gates in the third.

 

As you look at the recaps of those three games, the first thing you think of is that nothing has changed. I was able to watch a majority of the games and it was very impressive to see this team stay within reach of Miami and Atlanta, two of the Eastern Conference powerhouses. Those two losses gave me a little hope going into Indiana but then the Sixers went back to old habits of inconsistency and lost big at Indiana.

 

The Sixers find themselves in the same situation as many of the Philly sports teams. Inconsistency. The NBA is a league based on runs and the middle of the fourth quarter is usually the time the games are the closest. This team has the speed to do it but it seems as if they have too many colliding talent levels. It doesn't seem like this team clicks like the Phillies, Eagles or Flyers. It feels like a bunch of guys just playing basketball. The passion and excitment that the other clubhouses/locker rooms have is missing with the Sixers. The trade of Sammy Dalembert backfied already since Spencer Hawes seems to be a bust while the starting five cannot develop a consistent groove to work with to begin the game. Lou Williams still has the issue of holding the ball too much. He takes too many shots and misses a lot of them for the most part and doesn't look for the open man a lot of the time. The biggest quality this team has is its youth. They are young and fast and I believe Elton Brand is still slowing them down. Evan Turner has done alright in his first games in the NBA and looks to have the potential to become a great player.

 

All in all, this season is starting out just as everyone expected, as a disappointment. The close games against Miami and Atlanta leave a small wimper of hope for any surviving Sixers fan out there but this team has a lot to work on if they plan to return to the playoffs. Their goal this year should be a playoff appearance. I believe that would get Philadelphia behind them a little more. This team needs to be something feared on the schedule rather than an easy win for teams with superstars. 

 

The Sixers play the 0-2 Wizards tonight as #2 pick Evan Turner will take the court against the first overall pick, John Wall. Hopefully the Sixers get their first win of the 2010 season and start to show some level of consistency from their starting five.