Preview: Phoenix Suns @ Philadelphia 76ers
2-3 in their last 5 games, the Philadelphia 76ers want to keep momentum going against the Phoenix Suns
Jan 26, 2016 – Phoenix Suns (14-31) @ Philadelphia 76ers (6-39), 07:00pm, The Center
We can only imaging what Mike D’Antoni must be thinking when he looks cross the court to his old team, the Phoenix Suns who travel to Philadelphia to play the 76ers. On the one hand a wave of nostalgia must hit him, since he coached there from 2002-2008 (including as an assistant) and revolutionized the NBA with his 7 seconds or less philosophy, making the NBA more fun than the decade that preceded him.
On the other hand, he must see a Suns team miles away from his vision. Even though the Suns seemingly overachieved two years ago by barely missing out of the playoffs, and again last year coming in 10th in the West, the current incarnation of the Suns is that of a sinking ship.
They have a negative net rtg at -5.2, one of their best players in Eric Bledsoe is injured for the rest of the year with a torn meniscus, one of their players is disgruntled because the team traded his brother in the offseason, and the seat of their coach isn’t exactly ice-cold. So many things have gone wrong for this team dating to last season that you almost feel bad for them.
Fortunately for him, D’Antoni is on the Sixers’ bench, with a team on the upswing. Surprising as it may seem, before Sunday night’s massacre at the hands of the Boston Celtics the Sixers were playing excellent basketball.
In my recap when the Sixers played the New York Knicks, I mentioned how the games against the Chicago Bulls, the Portland Trailblazers, and the Knicks was the best 3-game stretch Philly has played this season. To bump things up further, the Sixers even won their next game against the Orlando Magic.
There were many people wondering why Jahlil Okafor wasn’t playing at the end of the Knicks game, but for those who did see that game, the lineup that Coach Brown had out there (Ish Smith, Isaiah Canaan, Hollis Thompson, Robert Covington, and Nerlens Noel) was in such a sweet groove. Even after that game Jah said the right things about wanting to be out on the floor but supporting his teammates.
In Orlando he got his chance to show his value as an end-game player, albeit because Nerlens left the game with migraines. Jahlil played solid one-on-one defense against Nikola Vucevic (ex-Sixer alert!) while making his presence felt on the offensive end in the fourth quarter.
Yes, yes we know the Boston game was brutal. Essentially no one played well and Coach ripped the team’s effort after the game and, in true Brett Brown style, he emphasized what he could build upon and how to get his team ready for the next game.
What To Watch For
Robert Covington was Philly’s best player in the Celtics game, and I can’t wait to see more of this:
When RoCo is aggressive, he can shoot lights-out against the better defenders in the league; Jae Crowder is an extremely sound defender and yet RoCo easily shoots over him time and time again in the clip above.
Final Take
The Suns are on a downward spiral, notching only 2 wins in the last 10 games. It has been a struggle for them finding a rhythm amid the disarray of their team. It will take much to galvanize the team against the Sixers, who are playing great team basketball.
Prediction – Using the loss against the Celtics to jolt life back into his team, Coach Brown’s Sixers take this game against the Suns to sweep the season series.
Where To Catch The Game
- Watch it! – CSNPhilly is broadcasting the game
- Hear it! – 97.5 has the game on the radio
- Stream it! – NBA League Pass is available for anyone out of market