Sixers Set To Take On Former ECF Champions Cavaliers

The Philadelphia 76ers are not fit to face most teams in the NBA right now, so the Cleveland Cavaliers coming into town could be something that’s incredibly difficult for them. LeBron James, arguably the best basketball player in the world right now, is tough to guard, and tough to keep up with. The Sixers have failed to produce anything offensively, averaging just 83 points per game so far.

Although James is a huge part of the Cavs, the Sixers have to remember some of their other players as well. Kevin Love will likely be matching up against Jahlil Okafor, one of his first big matches of the year, and they have role playing guys like Matthew Dellavedova who really jumped out in the playoffs last season.

The Sixers are on a rough start, which was to be expected. Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten being out to start the season sets them back, and Nik Stauskas has been inconsistently available since training camp (although his debut came against the Utah Jazz in their home opener). Head coach Brett Brown has acknowledged that they are about two weeks behind ready to start the season, which means Sixers fans should not expect a win against the team that won the Eastern Conference last season. There’s a fine line between being a fan and being delusional.

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While some fans are going to the Sixers game to see “real basketball” being played at the Wells Fargo Center since James is coming to town, it must be remembered that the Sixers are really onto something. They have a team that hasn’t figured itself out yet, but they have a lot of pieces that could work together to produce some really great things. It starts with a dominant front court in Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel. They will have to fight hard in this game against the Cavs if the team is to not be absolutely embarrassed.

Aside from that, guards must step up. They’ve had trouble getting the offense moving by giving teammates assists and good looks, and that won’t fly against a high caliber team like Cleveland. The guards need to be looking up and looking to get points in transition. They’ve struggled to get things going in the fast break.

The Cavs

After losing their opening game against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls, the team has bounced back, winning the next two games preceding the matchup against Philadelphia. They did so with a strong margin, winning by an average of 20 points within the two games.

Kevin Love has had 27 rebounds in the past two games, and had 17 points against the Grizzlies in game two of the season.

Mo Williams didn’t get a whole lot of playing time in the two wins, but in the season opener he totaled 19 points on 46.7% shooting, with four rebounds and seven assists. Williams could be a big player against the Sixers if he is given more minutes.

Getting familiar

Next: Early Chemistry Of The Sixers

The Sixers should use this game as a warmup for the Cavaliers. Since they play them again on Friday, they can use this game–since they are not expected to win–to find out what the Cavs really do well, and where their weaknesses are. Then, on Friday, they might be prepared to surprise the Cavaliers.