Basketball is a very unpredictable game. A week ago, the Philadelphia 76ers were challenging for the top spot in the league, and in just four games, they are struggling to hold on to the third spot in the East. Though they hold 2.5 games advantage over the fourth-seed Cleveland Cavaliers, their recent form and game-play suggest that they must sweat it out to stay at number three.
Starting the March with a 9-1 record, the Sixers looked solid in offense, and their defense was also doing “Ok” in those games. But after that, three losses in four games made the picture slightly problematic. Averaging over 120 points in the first ten games in March, the Sixers could put 109 on the board in later rounds. Their defense was all over the place, dropping some important games on the run. So shall the Philadelphia 76ers need to be concerned about their recent slump?
Known reasons for the Philadelphia 76ers’ losses
The Philly team was expected to close the gap between the top teams in a hot run. But rather, the team fell flat against opponents they bettered early in the season. The Bulls even won their first game against Joel Embiid in 13 encounters which started the Sixers’ fall.
Some of the reasons for those losses were very clear. Fatigue, Harden’s fitness issue, tired Joel Embiid, offensive flop show from the bench players, and defensive woes. In all, nothing was going in the right direction for Doc Rivers and his team.
In 61 games played so far, Embiid was on the floor for nearly three quarters and was the most efficient performer too. But finally, a slight foot injury and fatigue toll affected JoJo’s performance and, eventually, the outcome of the games. Similar would be the case for the 76ers’ facilitator, James Harden. The Beard sat out the last three games with Achilles issues. He played in 53 games for the Sixers this season but clocked the most minutes in the team.
While Embiid and Harden could get some exception in the losses, the rest of the team needed to step up. Particularly the bench players should play their hearts out in closing games to get more game time in the postseason. Sadly it didn’t happen in any of those three losses. Poor shooting show, lack of playmaking abilities and defensive lapses made the…
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