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Philadelphia 76ers Drop Opener By 17 To Celtics

By Josh Wilson

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Sometimes a win doesn’t come in the form of an addition in the win column. Although the Philadelphia 76ers would have liked to have come out of Boston in their debut game against the Celtics on top, that’s not how it went, and fans will have to find peace in smaller wins that came within the game to keep their sanity. They should get used to it since this may be the case for the entire season.

CSN commentator Alaa Abdelnaby put it best when he said that this team isn’t looking for actual wins, they’re looking for individual wins in achievements.

I would have loved to see the most optimistic person regarding Jahlil Okafor draw up their best-case scenario for his debut game, because I think he still would have beat even those expectations. Most expected him to be present with some growing pains in the first game, but for the most part that was not the case. Okafor finished the game with 26 points on 62.5% shooting, had seven rebounds, and made all six of his free throws. On top of that, he was noticeably present on defense, leaving his feet to contest shots, and he compiled two blocks throughout the game.

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Lastly for Okafor, he struggled at first when double teamed, but in the second half was able to get out sticky situations, and in one instance passed the ball for an assist when trapped.

Those who doubted that Nerlens Noel and Okafor could work together were also shut down, as the duo were both valuable parts of the Sixers, as they together combined for 40 points, four blocks, four steals, three assists, and 19 rebounds.

Noel did appear a bit timid at first as Okafor hopped right in the drivers seat, but as the game went on, they really hit a groove.

The last big win for the Sixers was Isaiah Canaan who scored 18 points and was one of the only good showings in the guard positions. The guards found themselves shorthanded during the game, after a burst of positivity before the game. Nik Stauskas said he would likely be playing, as did head coach Brett Brown. During the game though, before he got a chance to go in, Stauskas experienced back spasms, and did not end up playing.

This put the Sixers at a huge disadvantage, with just nine available players.

Despite all of these bright spots, the Sixers were unable to overcome the Boston Celtics, even though they got off to a great start. Turnovers contributed big time to a Celtics win, as the Sixers turned the ball over 24 times (the Celtics got 34 points off of Sixers turnovers), and a lot of those turned into fast break points, which the Celtics had 26 of (the Sixers only had 7).

Fast break points and assists were huge issues in the first half for Philly. They entered the locker room at halftime with only two assists and two fast break points.

Off of the bench—which was incredibly valuable for the Celtics, outscoring their starters by 22—Isaiah Thomas was a huge asset for the Celtics. He was uncontainable, even when T.J. McConnell, a decent defender was put on him. Thomas still found a way to get backdoor cuts and get to the hoop even with McConnell on him, and ended the game with 27 points and seven assists.

Altogether, it was a tough loss, especially after there was a glimpse of a win when the Sixers jumped out early. Still, within this loss, there’s a lot to be excited about. Okafor is better than we thought, and we have to remember, the Sixers currently only have nine players to use. Imagine them when Stauskas is healthy, when Kendall Marshall is healthy, and when Robert Covington is healthy. A starting lineup with Noel, Okafor, Covington, Stauskas, and Marshall all at full health would have beaten this Celtics team, in my opinion.

Next: Flat Top Podcast Episode 5

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