Minny jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter and never looked back despite several runs by the Sixers.  Nikola Pekovic was unstoppable (27 points and 18 rebounds on 9-16 shooting) and even forced Doug Collins to start Kwame Brown in the second half to help staunch the bleeding.  Jrue Holiday (16 points, 5 assists, 5 steals) played well but was forced to sit for crucial parts of the game due to foul trouble (several of which calls were based off of star treatment for Ricky Rubio).  Jrue would eventually foul out of the game.  Because of this, Evan Turner got some extra time with the ball in his hands and actually made some shots!  However, he continued to throw his arms up in complete disbelief that he didn’t simultaneous get a foul call and win the MVP at the same time, and his poor body language continues to only further alienate refs.

This team continues to struggle on the defensive end against, well everyone, but especially teams with size.  In addition, the over reliance on long 2-point shots and the absence of a consistent second scoring threat make it increasingly difficult for them to overcome their immensity deficiency.

This team is real head scratcher.

The T-Wolves have had a very similar season to the Sixers: high expectations derailed by injury.  Now, they sit 12th in the Western Conference with a record of 19-31.  With Kevin Love out for the majority of the remainder of the regular season (knuckle pushups=bad), Brandon Roy recovering from knee surgery (we know all about pinning hopes on All-Star players with a cartilage shortage), and Spanish point guard sensation Ricky Rubio on a minutes restriction (recovering from ACL surgery and puberty), Minny is a very beatable team.

Insert Superman 2 Reference Here

However, the Sixers frontcourt (or lack thereof) will have their hands full tonight with bruising center Nikola Pekovic.  Just as I am expecting Jrue to decimate the remains of Minny’s miniscule guards (Ridnour, Barea, Rubio), I envision the man commonly referred to as Non to put his Kryptonian powers to good use.  Double team him, and rotate quickly to the shooters.

Come to me, son of Ad-El-Man, and kneel before Jrue!