With talk about Paul Reed and Mo Bamba possibly playing alongside center Joel Embiid, it might be a good idea to look at the last time the Philadelphia 76ers committed to a two-center lineup.
In a league embracing the three-point shot, the NBA has shied away from lineups that featured two bigs playing together, commonly known as ‘Twin Towers‘. However, the big, and even bigger, lineups have made a mini-comeback lately.
- This past season, the Cleveland Cavaliers had a lot of success with centers Jarrett Allen and Even Mobley both starting. The Grizzlies start Steven Adams and Jaren Jackson Jr. and had one of the best records in the NBA.
- The Milwaukee Bucks won an NBA title two years ago with 7-foot Brook Lopez and 6-foot-11 Giannis Antetokounmpo.
- The Lakers won the championship in the bubble with Anthony Davis and future Sixer Dwight Howard (and occasionally JaVale McGee) in the starting lineup.
Of course, Sixers fans remember this year’s Eastern Conference semifinals. The 76ers held a 3-2 lead on the Boston Celtics and played at home for Game 6 to close it out. In maybe an act of desperation, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla put center, Robert Williams, in the starting lineup along with fellow center Al Horford.
The move flummoxed coach Doc Rivers, who had no countermove, and James Harden and Embiid both had two bad games in a row as Boston pulled out the series.
Teams do not seem to be as inclined to try and mirror the Warriors’ ‘Lineup of Death’, with 6-6 Draymond Green as the center. Unless you have Steph Curry and a healthy Klay Thompson in there, it might not work, they have seen.