Why not? Why can't it happen now? The Sixers have proved they're nothing if not streaky this season. Tonight, they can push their winning streak to three games and pull to within two games of at least one of the three teams they're chasing in the playoff hunt. A win over the New Jersey Nets...too much to ask?
We've been here before, several times. Just last season, the Sixers only needed to pick up a couple of wins down the stretch to move out of the #7 seed and avoid a first-round matchup with the Heat. We all know how that ended. Will this season be a different story? If they're going to end the season on a run and pass any one of Boston, Atlanta or Orlando (or maybe even more than one), they simply cannot drop this game tonight.
On the court, the Sixers need to do exactly what they did on Tuesday night. Keep the defensive pressure on all night, work hard on the defensive glass, minimize Deron's scoring and stick with New Jersey's shooters out past the three-point line.
I assume we'll see the same starting lineup tonight, hopefully Voose can give them something on the glass and maybe a couple of hoops. One thing this team is going to desperately need down the stretch is for Jodie Meeks to break out of his shooting slump. He's had at least a dozen wide-open, clean looks at threes thanks to the penetration of Iguodala and Jrue over the past week, and I don't think he's hit more than one or two of them. If he starts knocking those shots down, which isn't out of the question after all, the offense might be better than average. And a better-than-average offense to go along with a stifling defense is enough to take down most of the teams left on their schedule.
The tip is at 7pm. Game thread will land around 5. Here's my question for you: Forget about whether you want them to do it or not, do you think this team has a hot run in them to finish this season strong and get out of the dreaded 7/8 slots in the East heading into the playoffs?
Go Sixers!
Great pic of Thad to start off with too, bro
Yes, I do think they have a run in them. I also think that one of the three teams in front of them will have a slump. If the Voose/Hawes combo can give us something close to serviceability at the 5 position(which they have done the last two games), I think the sixers can have a little run. The defense will have to carry the team.
Nope. Just like that cold front full of arctic air overtaking the east coast the last few days it has engulfed the Sixers too. They've been very very fortunate the last couple games with depleted bad teams. 7 or 8 it is, or the way their luck goes whatever position ends up facing the Heat.
I foresee 3 straight losses coming up with the triple-back next week, well I guess that depends on who is injured for ORL and CLE though. If Dwight plays they lose two in a row going to CLE where their wary legs catch up to them. Maybe the Bucks can show some life in this same stretch (not sure who they play).
Check that, make that 4 straight losses, IND gets them both times.
Why not? The only remaining games are vs the Nets twice, Pacers twice, Orlando, Cavs, Bucks and Pistons - and if they can beat up on the Pacers, doesn't that pretty much prove they belong in the top 6 or so?
gerald wallace out again for tonight's game
Makes a big difference. Sixers are soft. Removing the toughest player on the opposition allows the Sixers to be soft and successful.
Nope - but not b/c they are incapable of a run. Making up 3 games with 8 to play is too much. 6-2 is the most we can ask for, and we'd have to hope another (good) team goes 3-5. I just don't see that happening.
its really 3-4 cause someone is losing between the hawks and magic tonight, so one of them will have 1 loss
Does anyone know what the second tiebreaker is for teams not in the same division?
If the Sixers beat Orlando, they're tied 2-2 in head-to-head games. Wondering what the second tiebreaker is. If they get that tiebreaker, they hold the tiebreaker over all three teams they're chasing.
i think conference record
24-16 for the Sixers, 27-16 for Orlando. They could take that, as well.
I think Orlando is the team they have the best shot to catch, just because they have a game left w/ them.
Basically, if the Sixers win tonight and Atlanta beats Orlando, you're talking about a two-game spread with one game left between them. That's doable.
The Orlando games swings it, in my mind. If they take down Orlando, I can see 6-2 or 7-1 the rest of the way and possibly moving up. If they lose that game, I think it's going to be Miami in the first round.
Of course, this is all predicated on them not playing like the team they were up until Sunday. If that team shows up, all hope is lost.
Brian - you are seriously discounting the fact that 8 seed is extremely plausible as well. Knicks have an easier schedule remaining AND more home games. I think we play Chi in round 1.
***and Knicks own tiebreaker over us.
It's certainly possible they catch us. I don't think they have an easier schedule in terms of opponents, though. Miami, Boston, Atlanta, Clips. 4 home/4 road. The home/road thing is in their favor, but I don't see them finishing better than 4-4. Sixers would need to finish 3-5 to get caught, which would mean they played like absolute ass and this discussion is pretty meaningless if they do that.
Think Heat might be on cruise control now that they are virtually locked in at 2. Knicks could definitely beat them on Sunday. That's the other problem about these end of the year games - no idea who is going to play hard.
Actually, I agree the Orlando game is key. Even if Orlando wins tonight, Atlanta plays a lot of tough road games vs Boston and 3 motivated Western conf teams in the middle of that playoff scramble. Plus we know we have the tiebreaker against the Hawks.
If you want to think really crazy, try this on for size.
Sixers get the 6 seed and play Indiana in the first round. Sixers win round 1 in a tough series and are the lowest remaining seed - meaning Bulls are next. Over the past two years, Sixers have been really competitive against the Bulls. It's not beyond the realm of possibility they win that series because they are a difficult matchup for Chicago.
If the Celtics continue to knock around the Heat ... we could see a Sixers - Celtics Conference Championship series. You know who won the season series in that matchup .... a pipe dream of course, but the very thought of facing off against Boston for the Conference title gives me goosebumps.
If you want to feel really good about the Sixers future, imagine this team if it had Andrew Toney ... or Charles Barkley. I think they'd immediately be in the mix. Neither of those guys was a number one draft pick.
Can we trade our first, Iguodala and Lou Williams to move up to the 6-8 range? If so, in a draft this deep maybe we get lucky. Even if all these musings are a reach --- a lot more fun that speculating on lottery balls.
This doesn't work, there is no "lowest seed remaining" rule. Sixers would play Heat 2nd round.
@JoshuaBRobbins
#Magic C Dwight Howard out tonight against #Hawks & isn't expected to play Sunday vs. #Cavaliers or Monday vs. #76ers.
He looked like he was in a lot of pain when they played the Sixers. Three straight losses for Orlando would be pretty nice right about now.
In other news, the NBA found its patsy to buy the hornets and keep them in a market that can't support them.
A nice read, don't know which one is right, Zig or Portland medical staff, but Oden if healthy could turn this franchise around in 2 or 3 seasons (he needs court time)
tk, could you give some input ?
I got the first link at SB nation..
http://www.blazersedge.com/2012/4/12/2942283/investigation-the-curious-case-of-greg-oden-and-zig-ziegler
http://zigsports.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/greg-oden-brandon-roy-what-what-happened/
I remember grant hill's ankle got some bone fused wrong and that what caused his wasted time in Orlando. So medical staff could get wrong..
Sorry, that type of prediction is way above my pay-grade. I can talk about diagnosis, treatment and a range of outcomes. But knowing what to expect from a 7 footer with that history is probably beyond all but Miss Cleo.
OK
Thank's anyway, I just can't stand that weak frontcourt anymore, Im kind of desperate trying to come with some possible ideas
Heh. Someone woke up the new guy at the Inquirer and he sort of responded to Kate Fagan's piece without actually mentioning it. Thought it was funny that he treated the points-per-100-possessions stat like it was some mathematical wonder conjured up by another writer. He's also wrong about whether they've led in DFR the entire season. They dropped to second after the Celtics game. Back in first right now.
For the record, I'm not saying anything bad about Kate Fagan right now, so if you're offended, go comment on Deep Sixer.
Somewhat related, did you catch the comments by Doug Collins when Kate's piece first came out? I only saw them this week when searching through csnphilly.com. He vehemently denied that he had lost the team (no surprise) and discounted her speculations as coming from someone who had not been around the team the whole year (which is true). I'm guessing he was hurt by that piece, because he seemed to have a genuinely good relationship with her last year.
However much one believes what she wrote (I noticed that the credibility that most Sixer fans placed in it was in direct proportion to how much they disliked Collins and/or the current Sixer team to begin with), it's interesting that none of the current beat writers corroborated it with any supporting evidence.
I don't believe Collins "lost the team" more so than they were just playing shit ball and having a horrible time doing it. Players were frustrated and it showed. Its all conjecture. Someone is always looking for a story to write and read.
The story should of been how Collins continues to misuse his offense, designing plays, or not, that continually put the players in a position to fail, even if by some miracle it worked well for 30 games.
Bob Cooney is absolutely in love with Doug Collins, he'll never say a bad word about the guy. Someone else mentioned it, it may have been Dennis Deitch. And John Mitchell, I don't know what his deal is, that guy is stealing money. Fights with people on twitter about Kobe Bryant, and writes like a 12 year old.
Dennis Deitch? The one who wrote the article about how Iguodala is a poor team member because of his free throw shooting? Go and read that article again; it also contains no direct corroboration that Collins had/has lost the team. And if Mitchell writes like a 12-year old (I don't disagree), then Deitch wrote that article like a 10-year old with a vendetta.
Dwight is out tonight? Man...only 2 back if Sixers win and ORL loses tonight going into that Monday matchup....anyone else think 6 seed is realistic or should I just stop dreaming...
It's realistic if the Sixers play well. If they've turned things around with these two wins against bad teams. It's not if these two games were a blip and they go out and lay an egg tonight.