Morning Thoughts: Can the 76ers Beat the Bucks?

There is coffee in my system, so let’s discuss the 76ers. Obviously, this team doesn’t have a lot of talent. However, the effort is there. When a team puts together a bunch of young, scrappy players, they will bust their tails to try and win. We saw that live in the 76ers first game against the Indiana Pacers. The outcome was a loss, but the effort was there from the squad. Though, it’s clear that talent will usually outpace effort in four quarters of a basketball game, as the 76ers lost 101-93.

Coming into tonight’s game against the Bucks, the 76ers have a legitimate shot — and one of the only shots — of winning a basketball game for the next month. That’s a brutal statement, but the 76ers schedule is brutal in November — I know it’s still October but bear with me. In November, the 76ers will face the Heat, Bulls, Rockets (twice), Raptors, Mavericks, Spurs (twice), Suns and Blazers. That’s a lot of losses, unless the 76ers can pull of something miraculous, which could happen as we saw last season.

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The Bucks are poised to be in the lottery again, but have a core of young players that could develop into something special. Guys like Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo are some that come to mind. Parker, who was the third overall pick in the 2014 draft, only scored eight points on 3-of-9 shooting in his NBA debut.

The Bucks are 0-1 after squandering a 24-point lead to the Charlotte Hornets in the season opener. That game was another case where talent just exceeds effort throughout an entire basketball game. The 76ers will be facing the Bucks in Milwaukee and that arena will be excited to cheer on their prized possession in Jabari Parker.

Can the 76ers win this game? There isn’t a doubt in my mind. While the Pacers team the 76ers lost too might have been riddled with injury, there were still veteran guys on the roster that know how to win games. Say all you want about Roy Hibbert, but the guy has won basketball games, he has experience. There isn’t much of that on either the Bucks or 76ers and the Bucks losing a 24-point lead against the Hornets keeps me optimistic about tonight.

Nerlens Noel will undoubtedly be looking to bounce back from a shaky shooting performance (2-of-11) in his NBA debut, while keeping his rebounds (10) and blocks (3) high. Tony Wroten will look to cap on his 22 points, seven assists and eight rebounds he dropped in the opening game. There isn’t much scoring around him, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him put up a stat line something like this until MCW returns.

Thinking about last season for a second, remember THIS insane shot that Spencer Hawes hit to beat the Bucks last season?

Ah, just basking in the hilariousness that was Spencer Hawes in a 76ers uniform, don’t mind me.

Anyways, this game should be interesting. Two 0-1 teams that shouldn’t win a lot of games this season. Exactly what everyone wants to watch on a Friday night, that being Halloween right? Enjoy the game.