The Sixer Sense
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Philadelphia 76ers need to avoid becoming the Clippers

By Matthew Fleming

Mar 11, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (center) battles Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (left) and forward Richaun Holmes (22) for positioning on a free throw during the fourth quarter at Staples Center. The Clippers won 112-110. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (center) battles Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (left) and forward Richaun Holmes (22) for positioning on a free throw during the fourth quarter at Staples Center. The Clippers won 112-110. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers are very close to making a push back into the playoffs for the first time since 2012, but they need to avoid the trajectory of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Stop me if you have heard this before.  But the Los Angeles Clippers have underachieved for yet another season.  As such, the rapidly improving Philadelphia 76ers need to make sure they don’t end up in a similar position in the future.

After losing to the Utah Jazz in game seven, there is speculation that the core of the Clippers will be split up. In fact, some fans are demanding it.

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This is an important for the Philadelphia 76ers.  Even though a team has a roster full of all-stars it doesn’t always equal playoff success. In fact, sometimes the expectations are set so high that it creates negativity among the fans, and the team.

Developing Chemistry

The Clippers have a strong team on paper.  As a matter of fact, the team boasts multiple players having very strong overall games but it appears something is missing.

They simply do not appear to have generated the team chemistry which the Golden State Warriors or Cleveland Cavaliers have developed over the past few seasons.

The Sixers need to make sure their star players, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, develop their chemistry with not only each other but the rest of the team.

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    • Team chemistry will be important when the team goes through adversity. They should be able to rely on each other when one of them is struggling instead of using it as an excuse for their failures.

    Having the right talent

    The Clippers are certainly one of the most talented team in the entire league but there are some big weaknesses on the roster.  Deandre Jordan can’t shoot free-throws, Blake Griffin can’t stay on the court, and Chris Paul can’t win a big game.  The talent is not in question but the players don’t seem to have games that benefit each other.

    Joel Embiid does have trouble staying on the court but he does not have any weaknesses when he’s on it.  Beyond that, Ben Simmons’ biggest weaknesses coming out of college is his shooting.

    Now, it’s up to Bryan Colangelo to build a team around them that can cover up their flaws and bring out their strengths. Colangelo needs to fill the roster with more shooters to compliment Simmons and have a backup plan just in case Embiid gets hurt.

    Too Good For Their Own Good

    Every player in the NBA has a weakness or an off game, but as long as their teammates can cover up for them it should work out. The Clippers can’t cover up for some of their team weaknesses and it shows once they face competition in the playoffs.

    Being good but not good enough is one of the worst spots to be in if you are a fan or member of a team. Especially in the NBA, you need to either be good enough to win a championship or bad enough to find that talent in the draft.

    Teams caught in between are in a form of limbo. The team is  just wasting time if they remain in the middle of the pack with no path to a championship.  Insanity is having the same inputs and expecting different results.  Just ask the Clippers about that.

    Next: McConnell's future with Sixers

    The Philadelphia 76ers have talent, but now it’s about putting the right pieces in place to ensure they have a roster that can make a playoff run past the second round.