"I believe diversity is an old, old wooden ship"
The ride continues. I'm getting nauseous. January went pretty well for the Sixers, ending it 10-5 with blowout victories over playoff teams in Portland, San Antonio and Atlanta and a nice road win over Houston.
They made those statement wins because they smelled what Tony DiLeo was stepping in. The Sixers are shooting the three better now and are running the break. However, the end of the month was not as forgiving.
How can you end the month by losing to New Jersey? After racking up some very big victories and looking as though you're ready to hang with the big boys, you crap all over the place, to be honest. The Nets are a borderline playoff squad, boasting an incredible back court tandem of Devin Harris and Vince Carter. Forget about them; it was rookie Brook Lopez who laid them out.
Lopez, the 10th pick in the 2008 draft, lit them up to the tune of 24 points and 17 rebounds. Calling Sam Dalembert! Sammy D, who D'ed up Yao Ming a few nights earlier, played just 15 minutes and was hobbled by a sprained ankle. Whoever was on Lopez couldn't stop him.
A positive on the night was the shutdown of Harris and Carter, who combined for just 24 points on Saturday night. So the defense was sturdy. The offense, though, was anything but.
Shooting under 35 percent will get you nowhere, and that's exactly what the Sixers output was. Elton Brand was the main culprit, coming off the bench to shoot 2-for-10 and finish with five points in just 18 minutes. Ugly.
One offensive positive was...
Scratch that. The Sixers went 5-of-17 from three point territory, which is a bit much for a suspect shooting team. Keep that number to around 12-15, and your good to go. That means you're getting to the hoop and not settling, which is what the Sixers enjoy doing. I'm going to start calling them the Mayflowers instead of the 76ers, because they keep bringing settlers every night. Ok, that was bad. But you catch my drift, so to speak. Don't settle for outside shots you cant make. The Sixers don't have a three-point shooter, which means getting to the basket should be their main objective. Diversify! Use all weapons.
Now, their objective must be staying in the game with the Celtics on Tuesday night. Easier said my friends. Easier said.
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