Sixers vs. Wizards: Preview

The Sixers will travel down to the D.C. area tonight to take on the Washington Wizards. With a few close games and a big road win on their resume in Boston, the Sixers are not that far away from putting together the right combination to win some ball games. Tonight marks another evening in which Allen Iverson will be sidelined with the arthritis in his left knee. Louis Williams will be back in the starting lineup at his usual guard spot. What are the keys to victory? Here we go!

First and foremost, the Sixers need to be well aware on the defensive end and be able to limit the opportunities given to Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. Now, shutting these three down isn’t to be expected, but how about a good old fashion containment? Force these guys into tough shots and limit the second chance opportunities. Rebound, rebound, rebound. Sammy D and the entourage of Thad Young and Elton Brand need to be very active on the defensive glass. With that said, the ability to rebound on the defensive end should allow for Williams and Andre Iguodala to get out and run. This leads me to my next point. Let’s see how well the Sixers can produce in the transition game. The transition game with Williams, Iggy, Young allow for some easy fast break buckets. Taking advantage of this opportunity will certainly allow for Philly to establish some runs often and early.

So we preach defense and fast break. The next aspect of the game that needs to be on the agenda is shot taking. With the non-production from behind the arc, the Sixers need to establish the fast break flow which will hopefully transfer into the half court game. Taking good shots and high percentage shots in the half court is a must if the Sixers intend to sustain some runs and put pressure on the Wizards offense and test their ability to come back from a deficit.

Finally, as I’ve been saying all along, Elton Brand needs to stay productive. He had a big night in Boston with his 23 and nine boards, but needs to establish that flow night in and night out. With Brand and Marreese Speights dominating the forward position, the Sixers have that much of an upper hand going forward. Speights has proven he can fill it up and I also like his ability to get out and run the break with his finishing abilities. What do you say fellas, D.C. is coated with the white powder of snow and the stage is set. Let’s go down into the Capitol and pull out a W.

Peace From The 570!