I’d say it’s getting better for the Philadelphia 76ers and their fans. Well, for one, fans are getting a glimpse at potential targets for next season in the NCAA Tournament. You would have hoped for a longer run for Duke just to see Jabari Parker more, but frankly, he showed his freshman status.
For the Sixers though, the games have gotten better. Or at least more competitive.
You could have questioned their effort on the West Coast trip. When they lost back-to-back games by 40 points, you could have questioned how much they were invested in the game. When you saw Brett Brown chewing out Michael Carter-Williams, you could have guessed that the team had mailed it in for the season.
Not so much anymore. They’ve hung in their last few games and have made it somewhat more watchable. MCW responded with a triple-double a few games after that confrontation with Brown.
They hung in punch-for-punch with the Pacers for about 45 minutes last week. Then, they led them late a few days later. Wednesday, against a Chicago Bulls team that does not take any opponent lightly, they were tied in the fourth quarter.
Regardless of whether they were “tanking” as players before, it is pretty clear that Carter-Williams and the Sixers are playing hard. They do not want to go in the history books, being just four games away from matching the NBA record for consecutive losses (Cleveland, 26).
After watching the way Thaddeus Young played against the Bulls, former Head Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau said this of Young:
"I give a guy like Young a lot of credit for his professionalism and how hard he plays,” Thibodeau said.
When you watch the game, you at least know they are trying. Whether you WANT them to win or not is a separate thing, but it at least makes it easier to evaluate and judge the players for next year when they are playing hard.
Game Notes:
- James Anderson is expected to play tonight after missing the last two games with a quad injury. Tony Wroten will return to his sixth-man role.
- The Knicks have won seven games in a row, coming into the game.
- Young is second in the NBA with 144 steals.
- Carmelo Anthony comes into the game second in the NBA with 28.1 ppg.
Injuries: Jason Richardson and Nerlens Noel are recovering from torn ACLs and will not play. Kenyon Martin has an ankle injury and will not play, while Andrea Bargnani is out with a torn UCL and will not play.
Projected Lineups:
Sixers Lineup
PG Michael Carter-Williams
SG James Anderson
SF Hollis Thompson
PF Thaddeus Young
C Henry Sims
Knicks Lineup
PG Raymond Felton
SG J.R. Smith
SF Carmelo Anthony
PF Amar’e Stoudemire
C Tyson Chandler
Prediction: The trends are all you need to know. The Knicks win again and the Sixers lose again, 120-98.
