Skip to content
Sixers
Link copied to clipboard

Consistent frontline key to Sixers' streak

The Sixers have gotten consistent production the last three games from Thaddeus Young, Spencer Hawes and Evan Turner, and have won all three.

THERE IS one thing 76ers coach Doug Collins has been searching for all season. It hasn't been the return of Andrew Bynum, nor any other form of help from an outside object. No, with the roster being littered with injuries throughout the season, Collins still sought just one thing from whoever was available from night to night: consistency.

Saturday against the visiting Charlotte Bobcats and with former star Allen Iverson in the house (please no more emails about how they should try to get him to come back and play), the Sixers won their third game in a row, 100-92. They will try to go for their fourth straight Wednesday in Charlotte, the longest such streak since last season.

It's not hard to find a reason for the current winning stretch - besides the fact that Milwaukee, Cleveland and Charlotte aren't exactly premier teams. Just look at the consistent numbers that the starting frontcourt has produced in those three games.

Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes have been a frontline to be reckoned with over the last trio of games. The three have combined to shoot 67 of 120 (55.8 percent) from the floor, combine for 84 rebounds and 155 points.

For Turner and Hawes, the remedy to inconsistent play is similar. Both must be very active on the court and have a positive mental attitude. Frustration lends as much to their poor play as shooting slumps and bad decision-making. When both play at a high-activity level, the numbers show.

Turner had been in a mental slump for quite some time before these past three games. There were contests in which he would be looking for his first rebound in the fourth quarter. Scoring slumps can come and go, sometimes as quickly as a game or two, but rebounding is simply effort. And the effort has been there of late by Turner.

In the wins against the Bucks, Cavaliers and Bobcats, Turner has shot 23-for-42 from the floor (54.8 percent) and averaged nine rebounds and 19.3 points. Young has made 62.9 percent of his shots (22-for-35), and averaged 7.7 rebounds and 15 points. Hawes, who has scored in double figures in nine straight games, has averaged 16.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, shot 51.2 percent (22-for-43) and five assists.

While the other two need to be active and mentally stable, Young brings both of those traits to his game each night. His 10 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday gave Young his 19th double-double of the season, compared to just one last season.

The three have been a huge reason the team has averaged 99 points over these three games. While the playoffs are out of the realm of possibility, finishing out the season on a high note seems to be the goal, and they only have nine more games left to do it.