Inside the 76ers: Win against Celtics would be a lift
Brett Brown would probably disagree. A victory Sunday against the Boston Celtics would provide a confidence boost for his 76ers. It would also serve as validation of their improvement from the start of the season.
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Brett Brown would probably disagree.
A victory Sunday against the Boston Celtics would provide a confidence boost for his 76ers. It would also serve as validation of their improvement from the start of the season.
Here's why: A win against the Celtics (23-21) would finally give the Sixers (6-38) a victory against a team with a winning record.
But . . .
"I don't even sort of position it like that," Brown said of the benefits of a win. "We lost to the Chicago Bulls in overtime. We lost to the Knicks in overtime. We had a convincing home win against Portland. We had a good road win against Orlando."
Brown added that his squad also played tough against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors. The coach pointed out that the Cavaliers, Raptors, and Bulls were 2015 Eastern Conference playoff teams who remain among the conference's best squads.
"So whether they have a winning record or they are a playoff team or they are a legitimate contender or just a good road win," Brown said, "it's just trying to play good basketball. That's where we center our conversation."
You wouldn't expect him to say anything else, especially not publicly.
His squad lost 18 consecutive games to start the season, tying the league record set by the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets. At the time, the Sixers also had 28 straight losses dating to March 27, a U.S. professional sports record.
So any win or quality performance is welcomed.
But let's face it, their six victories have come against the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, and Orlando Magic - teams that are either NBA doormats or were on a downward spiral when they faced the Sixers.
The Lakers, who were 9-36 through Friday, have the league's second-worst record, behind the Sixers. The Timberwolves and Suns were tied for the league's fourth-worst mark of 13-31 heading into Saturday's matchups. The Blazers (19-26) were tied for the eighth-worst record.
It can be argued that the Sixers faced the Kings (19-23 as of Friday) at the right time - it was Sacramento's fifth loss in seven games. The same can be said about the Magic (20-25), losers of five straight games and nine of 10.
It's great that the Sixers played well against the Cavs, Raptors, Bulls, and Knicks. The Bulls game went into overtime, while the Knicks needed double overtime to win.
But those teams still took command when they needed to. And even though it's nice to be competitive against superior opponents, it's better to defeat them.
That's why a victory over the Celtics would do wonders for the Sixers. Boston is second in the Atlantic Division behind the Raptors and seventh in the conference standings.
The victory would also erase memories of not being able to get out of their own way against Boston on Nov. 25.
Back then, the Sixers missed seven of their final eight shots after holding an 11-point lead with 6 minutes, 16 seconds remaining. They turned the ball over on six of seven late fourth-quarter possessions. They finished with 18 turnovers.
The miscues doomed the Sixers in an 84-80 setback.
They will also see whether they can limit Isaiah Thomas, who scored 11 of his game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter of the last meeting between the teams. The point guard also had 27 points in the Celtics' 112-95, season-opening victory over the Sixers. Boston has a six-game series winning streak.
So a win against the Celtics would definitely go a long way in boosting the Sixers' confidence, regardless of how much they downplay it.