Game Recap – San Antonio Spurs @ Philadelphia 76ers

Existential Question: What Is Execution? Just Ask The Philadelphia 76ers

Successful execution makes for beautiful offense and unsuccessful execution does the opposite. When the San Antonio Spurs came to play the Philadelphia 76ers, we saw both as the Spurs defeated the Sixers by a 51-point margin. The Sixers actually came out of this game ready to compete and held an early lead in the game, but the lead would soon the relinquished, and more, after Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called a timeout to organize his group. The Spurs then went on a run of their own and never looked back in the game, never trailing after midway through the first quarter.

The second quarter was no better, with the sloppy play continuing for Philly. Jahlil Okafor could not get his shot going, starting the game 0-4 and not getting a rebound in the entire first half. The offense struggled to even get into synch, there was a missed alley-oop connection after a timeout, no clean looks at the basket, and boneheaded turnovers; at the same time the Spurs continued to Spur, with every player contributing on every play, even when the bench players came in during the second half.

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It’s no surprise that the Sixers, along with the entire league, look at the Spurs with envy. On offense they have constant movement and are always looking for the right mismatch to exploit on every play down the court. Sixers coach Brett Brown knows firsthand the joy of a free-flowing offense, having been an assistant coach with the Spurs before joining Philadelphia, and I’m sure he hopes to implement the same movements with the Sixers someday. Down the line, it will be an exciting offense to see with Jahlil, Nerlens Noel, Dario Saric, and the future draft picks (Ben Simmons? Jaylen Brown?) shooting and flowing, torturing defenses with their size, passing, and touch.

Player of the Game

There weren’t many candidates for this award who played, so I will give it to Philly’s new member, Jerry Colangelo. Hired to join the front office as the team’s Chairman of Basketball Operations, there is positive buzz about the Sixers and what he can do to improve their outlook. This announcement came as a huge surprise to anyone not in the Sixers’ immediate decision-making circle, since there weren’t any news outlets on it, despite the team saying that they started having talks with Colangelo around ten days ago. Sixers’ GM & President Sam Hinkie will have final say on all personnel decisions, and Colangelo will be living in his home in Phoenix so his position is more of a mentorship to Hinkie along with being an adviser to the team.

In addition to giving Philadelphia his wide knowledge of basketball and team building, the biggest thing that Colangelo does for the Sixers is give them an added sense of legitimacy. It’s no secret that when the Sixers decided to go down the path of the process many questioned the decision-making of Hinkie and majority team owner Josh Harris, but with Colangelo on board the team now gives the outside world a reason to trust the decisions going forward. Colangelo has a deep resume of success in the league, Philadelphia is lucky to have him, and I’m sure many teams would love to have him as well.

What really excited me about having him join was how insightful and level-headed he sounded about the situation in Philly when commentators Alaa Abdelnaby and Mark Zumoff interviewed Colangelo in the middle of the third quarter. He knows that it really is too early for him to make any recommendations about the team yet, and sounds excited to learn and work with Sam Hinkie to build for the future. His words about Josh Harris and Brett Brown dripped with respect and admiration, and he is excited to work with the young players. I’m looking forward on seeing Colangelo work with Hinkie in forming a formidable front office.

Next: The Top Ten Acquisitions In Sixers History

Looking Ahead

After their brief homestead, the Sixers travel to Brooklyn to face the Nets on Thursday. As a bottom-dweller who has no interest in being there (the Nets’ draft pick this year is in the hands of the Boston Celtics), the Nets hope to get in a win.