The Philadelphia 76ers have the best home record in the NBA. They also have the worst road record of any team currently in the playoff picture. Here’s why.
Consider these two numbers: 92.0 percent and 32.0 percent. Any person who passed fifth-grade math is able to understand that those two numbers aren’t similar at all. The one correlation those numbers do have, however, is they are both win percentages attributable to the Philadelphia 76ers this season. They’ve won 92.0 percent at home (24-2) and 32.0 percent on the road (9-19).
Have you ever read the novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? It’s a short story about a well-respected doctor who transforms into a disgraceful criminal upon drinking a serum he concocted. Two versions of the same person, the good version seen in the light and the bad version that comes out at night. This couldn’t be more applicable to the Sixers when playing at home versus on the road.
The team boasts the best home record in the entire NBA, while also holding the worst road record of all current playoff teams, including a 1-13 road record against teams with winning records. When playing in South Philly, the 76ers are what everyone thought they would be, a dominant, title-contending team, Dr, Jekyll.
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They trounced the Milwaukee Bucks, who hold the NBA’s best record, on Christmas day and then a month later dominated the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers. The Sixers have beaten almost all the top teams in the league at home this year, including, but not limited to, the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, and Utah Jazz.
Take the Sixers on the road though, and the ugly Mr. Hyde comes out to play. The team has lost on the road to some of the worst teams in the league, including the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Wizards.
The lack of consistency is mind-blowing and almost inexplicable. The reason cannot be as simple as the team being more comfortable at home and the crowd at the Wells Fargo Center being the best and loudest in the league (I’m biased clearly).
It’s easy to point fingers at head coach Brett Brown, citing the difference starts with the head coach not being able to get his team to perform on the road. However, I would not disagree with this notion.
The Sixers are still very young. Their superstars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are 25-years-old and 23-years-old, respectively. Neither can lead this team alone and they seem reluctant to lead together. This immaturity and lack of leadership can cause a team to have issues when they leave their comfort zone of Philadelphia.
I am not ready to press the panic button yet, considering the Sixers had a losing road record last season at 20-21. Obviously that is better than the team’s road record this year, but it presents the case that this team’s struggles on the road are not uniquely attributable to this season.
Maybe that makes it more alarming to some fans, knowing how poorly the Philadelphia 76ers plays away from home has lasted this long. Either way, I do not expect the road issues to be resolved this year. Fans best hope is being able to steal just one of four games on the road in a playoff series, which really shouldn’t be much to ask, but might prove to be.