A Rough Wednesday: Worst Loss of the Season
Hey, happy Wednesday everyone, though definitely not the Wednesday any of us hoped for. This was the first game of the season that honestly made me pessimistic. It felt like last year’s “no-desire Sixers” showed up again. By far the worst loss of the year. Tough to watch the team give up that early, especially after starting the game well. We were up seven in the first quarter with some really nice drives from McCain and Edwards, and even Maxey had good moments despite the threes not falling. But as the game moved on, the energy just evaporated.
The Zone Defense Collapse
The turning point was simple: the zone defense destroyed us. Orlando’s guards, mostly Black, Suggs, and Bane, ran right through it. Suggs got wide-open threes, and the “contests” were barely contests at all. One moment we were up seven, and a few possessions later we were suddenly down seven. From there, you could see the team mentally check out, and the lead kept growing. It’s tough to watch a team just lose structure that fast, especially to a pretty basic zone.
McCain: Small Bright Spot in a Dark Game
No one had a good game tonight. Hard to look good in a loss like this. But if you squint, the one slight positive was McCain’s offense starting to come together little by little. His shot looks clean, his rhythm is returning, and he had a couple of really nice drives manipulating the defense. Defensively, though, like everyone else, he struggled. Hopefully that side improves with time, because the offensive progress is real.
Missing Veteran Stability
Too many inexperienced players, too many mistakes. Stepping out of bounds, throwing the ball directly to defenders, losing focus, it added up quickly. And with no Embiid, no Oubre, and no Paul George, the lack of veteran stability was obvious. Speaking of Paul George… I expected him to play. At some point, the question has to be asked: does he actually want to play here? Minor injuries happen, but ankle tightness usually isn’t something that keeps most guys out. Early in his career, Indiana, OKC, he had that fire. Lately, it doesn’t look the same. Maybe it’s physical, maybe it’s effort, maybe it’s both.
Next Up: Nets
Next game is against the Nets, a matchup I usually call a “scheduled win.” But playing like this? Nothing is scheduled. Honestly, maybe Joel and PG should rest again if they’re not right. What do you think? Let me know in the comments. Let’s hope Thursday brings a much better Sixers showing.