Give a listen to
ESPN's NBA Today podcast today. About 10 minutes in, Ryen Russillo says, "The Toronto Raptors have the worst roster in the NBA." The Sixers will put that theory to the test tonight in a battle of the Eastern Conference's two worst teams, record-wise.
This team has basically been unwatchable for the past three games. Doug Collins is quickly running out of gimmicks to hide the fatal flaws of the roster. Andre Iguodala will miss his second consecutive game with his pesky achilles strain. Spencer Hawes seemingly gets slower with each passing game. The schedule has been insanely stacked against the Sixers, and tonight is another example. They finally get a game they should win, and they're playing the second night of a back-to-back, a day after finishing a monster five-game road trip. Their fourth game in six nights.
Without Iguodala, I'm not even sure we can say the Sixers should be favorites against the 2-9 Raptors tonight. Brand should be able to do work on the inside. Thad and Lou should be able to score off the bench, but as far as winning and losing go, it's probably going to ride on the shoulders of Jrue and Turner. They both need to score. Jrue needs to set up his teammates, Turner needs to pick up the rebounding for the sad front court and both of them need to defend.
On the one hand, these guys are supposed to be the future, maybe it's good for the team to live and die on their performance as they mature into their roles. On the other hand, they're both young and learning the game at this level, so pinning your hopes to them is a risky proposition, at best. Not to mention the fact that each of these guys could go off and the team's frontcourt could still lose the game on the glass.
It's a dire state of affairs for our beloved Sixers, so much so that this is my matchup to watch:
Spencer Hawes vs. Andrea Bargnani - Possibly the two most useless centers in the NBA. Both rebound like weak point guards. Neither plays a lick of defense. They're both slow, they both kill their teams on both ends of the floor. The main differences between these guys is that Toronto doesn't seem to realize exactly how bad Bargnani is, while the Sixers are at least aware of the situation to the point where they keep his minutes below 15 in most games. Oh, and Bargnani does have one marketable skill, shooting the three, whereas Hawes is best known for unnecessary half-hook shots designed to avoid passing through the hoop while also avoiding contact which may send him to the line.
In all seriousness, though, lose this game and the Sixers will cement their laughingstock status for the foreseeable future.
Prediction: Sixers 101, Raptors 96
The tip is at 7pm, I'll be here throughout. Game thread will be up at 5:30.
I've been scouring the internet for cheap Sixer seats.
Bets deals I have found are $79 club seats for some of their upcoming games when I talked to a comcast tix guy. Food and drinks(beer/wine included) are included in the deal till halftime.
Also found this link for $15 mezz centers for some upcoming games.
On stub hub, I see tickets available for $1.99 tonight and lower centers for $28 and courtside for $75.
I don't have much experience with buying tickets. Any of these good deals?
Courtside for $75 is a really good deal.
I usually go to stubhub for cheap tickets. Best deal I've gotten is right under the hoop, front row for like $150 against the Nets last season, at NJ.
Thanks, I feel like seeing a game close up. I have gone to probably 10 games in the last 3 years, but none were down by the court. Not sure I could find someone wiling to go with me last minute to a Sixers tonight, though. :)
Is under the hoop better than being more center court? I would think that it'd be a pain to see half the game?
center court is better, but the under the hoop seats were the first time i've ever actually had my feet on the floor. pretty cool experience. i've been courtside in the second row at center court. Pretty much any courtside seat is awesome, no matter who's playing. Pick a bad game and keep your eye on stubhub, you should be able to get a serious bargain and it's definitely worth it.
I live in 2 hours drive of 2 nba teams, but even the bad teams, one of those tickets are ungettable.
Lakers tickets are just OBSCENE to all games
Are you not counting the Clippers as a team? That would be understandable in some ways,
No, that's why i said two hours to two teams. I cound the clippers, but the sixers clippers game in LA is almost aways new years eve day - around 3 PM - and I don't want to drive up the 101 on new years eve at 7:30 PM
LA drivers are god awful...
What are you, like 6 or 7 hours to Oakland? Yeah, that's a hike.
A game in oakland would be a weekend trip :)
Sorry to hijack thread for a second, but I figured it wasn't a game thread so it would be buried in an hour or 2 anyway.
All stubhub for tonight are $15 charge for last minute pickup. I'm not dealing with that I don't think.
The $79 deal also includes parking pass if you buy 4.
Bargnani's stats this year are really bad, but I think if you look back to his numbers from last year (bigger sample size), you can make a case for him as an average small forward. Who plays center for some reason.
It's been said befoer.
S.pencer
H.awes
I.s
T.errible
I can't spell at all, can I.
Has there been a single comment (excuse) given for Speights not playing last night?
I haven't heard anything. I guess from the team's perspective, that's the benefit of plummeting interest in the team, right?
Speights is falling off the edge of the earth. It's his 3rd year and he can't get off the bench before Darius Songaila? Wow. Usually, an average player is in the rotation by his 3rd year, or at least gets 15 minutes a game.
I'm sure you've all noticed that Willie Green and Jason Smith are the first 2 players off the bench for the undefeated Hornets. And the guy we got for them doesn't even play. (I'm not counting Songaila.)
And speaking of declining interest, the Inquirer is sending their Sixers beat writer to Istanbul to cover Allen Iverson.
"randall0012
take igoudala over there with you and leave him there. where both ai's belong."
LOL
I think it's somewhat reassuring that our failing local paper can afford to occasionally send a reporter overseas. But aside from the cultural interest story of how the Turkish fans respond to Iverson (very enthusiastically, it seems), there's not much there worth reporting on. I also gather that Steve Francis is going to China.
Great, AI, Francis and Marburry as our ambassadors. No wonder the world thinks we're crazy. When do we send over Tyson?
I was thinking Rodman.
If the dress fits.
Well, it's no accident that the crazy ones are the ones who go overseas.
If Kate doesn't get to write a positive story soon, well need to place her on suicide watch.
I'm guessing that's how they decided who to send to the World Cup.
Brand coming off a bad game and more likely to be winded in this one...and no Iguodala.
Don't expect a win tonight
Someone has to win.
Really tk, just so utterly beneath you :)
Brian, hope everything is well.
I just watched the Cavs game (yes, I am late) and I am pretty shocked by Speights' DNP CD as well, he wasn't doing anything special but in the last games he had semi decent outings, don't see a reason to put Songaila AND Battie in and leave the young fella out.
Don't know what kind of mind games is Collins playing but this is worrying me
If he can't get off the bench also tonight, then it would mean coach is sending him a message, perhaps MS doesn't put enough effort in practice, I have no clue