The Philadelphia 76ers took another loss on Monday night against the Cleveland Cavliers. It was to be expected, but still, the Sixers put up a great fight, leading for a large chunk of the second quarter, and in a big way, too. They lost 107-100.
There was a lot to take away from this loss, though. Rookie big man Jahlil Okafor did well against some decent defenders, and bodied his way into the paint in many occasions.
He was as physical as could be, and forced his way to the hoop where others may have been shut down.
Jahlil Okafor bodies Kevin Love https://t.co/aOy8p2EeMX
— Michael K-B (@therealmikekb) November 3, 2015
The Sixers have a weird schedule this week, as they see the Cavaliers again in just a few days, ending their work week on Friday facing off against Cleveland. Based on how well the Sixers did the first time around against the Cavs, could they use familiarity to their advantage and come away with an upset win against them?
Keeping LeBron contained is a task in itself. It was easy in the first half of this game because he plays down when he has to. If this was the Cavs vs. the Warriors, LeBron wouldn’t have been in single digit points halfway through the second quarter.
In the second half, though, the Sixers did get a taste of what LeBron is really like, and he soared his way to his 25,000th career point against Philly. James ended with a double double, 22 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds. He was active on the defensive end with two blocks and four steals.
Are they familiar with James? No, not at all. Getting familiar with the greatest athlete of this century so far takes more than just one game, and he’s got a lot left that the Sixers don’t know how to handle.
Okafor vs. Anyone
As far as this battle goes, Okafor can handle. His familiarity with Kevin Love and Timofey Mozgov defending him is clearly something he’s comfortable with. He bodied his way to the paint and scored. He scored 27 points in 24 minutes.
This is familiarity that doesn’t even need to be questioned. Okafor is good, and he’s a player that can keep the Sixers in the game on Friday.
Nerlens Noel is a decent compliment to the front court as well, and often gets forgotten as the infatuation with the new player in Okafor is high. He scored 14 points.
The Sixers were neck and neck with the Cavs in the paint, both teams scored 54 points in the paint on Monday.
Backcourt? Needing a change?
Nik Stauskas looks comfortable bringing the ball up and facilitating shots of his own and for others, but Isaiah Canaan starting seems to be a bit shaky as a starter. He played 31 minutes on Monday, only shooting 2/8 and scoring seven points. This left the Sixers behind in several cases, and only had one assists.
On the other hand, rookie T.J. McConnell shot 3/4, had 12 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists. He had a +12, and five of the six bench players had a positive net rating, where none of the starters did.
To keep up with the flashy backcourt (despite an injury to Kyrie Irving) of Mo Williams and J.R. Smith, the Sixers need to make a change. The right move is starting T.J. McConnell.
Next: Is Nerlens Noel An All Star Lock?
Familiarity a game breaker?
The bottom line is there’s a real NBA leader behind this Cavs team in LeBron. And even if the Sixers outplay the Cavs for three quarters, and use familiarity to their advantage, James can just flip that mental and physical switch on in the fourth quarter and singlehandedly dominate the entire team.
Familiarity can play a role, but LeBron won’t let it determine the final outcome of the game.