A new week in the Sixers’ world brings about a new edition of my “5 thoughts” column on the team.
Let’s get after it…
The Sixers falling overtime to the Nuggets is a brutal loss
We’re more than a half-day into the online debate about whether the Sixers’ loss to a severely
undermanned, Nikola Jokić-less Nuggets team is cause for concern. I get that I can play the role of the bad guy doomer and I’m not saying this season’s over because of it, obviously, but that’s a rough one. They were double-digit favorites at home. Denver was on the second half of a road back-to-back and playing their third road game in four days. C’mon!
All the losses count the same in the standings come April, but losing the “gimme” games like this or that home Nets game in late December could legitimately be the reason they have to maneuver through the Play-In Tournament come the postseason.
VJ Edgecombe’s long-range shooting success is unprecedented for a Sixers rookie
Sure, the Sixers had a Stone Age offense terrified of shooting three-pointers until Doug Collins was sent packing in 2013, but the point remains that no Philly rookie has ever launched it from deep like Edgecombe has. Just two rookies in franchise history have even attempted 6.0 three-pointers per night: Edgecombe and Allen Iveron himself, per Stathead. Edgecombe is shooting 38.7 percent from deep compared to Iverson’s 34.1 percent too.
Other Sixers have had higher three-point shooting percentages as rookie than Edgecombe, like 1989 Hersey Hawkins and 2004 Kyle Korver and some other choice players, but when it comes to a mesh of volume and efficiency, what Edgecombe is doing is unparalleled. He’s not some spot-up shooting role player. He’s carrying a huge load on a team that has big-name players alongside him. He’s impacting the game well beyond just his shooting while doubling as one of the game’s premier clutch players at only 20 years old. This dude rocks.
The Trae Young trade talk has me angry about 2021 all over again
Awesome. Really awesome stuff during that Hawks series, everyone. It broke my Sixers fandom in a way that has never truly recovered. I am now a perpetually grumpy 30-something when it comes to this franchise because of it.
25 years ago today…
The Sixers had a 107-103 road win over the Cavaliers to move them to 24-8 during the 2001 season. Iverson had what appears to be one of his most efficient scoring outings ever, dropping 54 points while shooting 20-of-30 from the floor, 4-of-7 from deep and 10-of-13 from the line. Sheesh.
A rock solid 20-5-9 stat line from Aaron McKie wasn’t too shabby either!
As much as I complain about the Sixers, it could always be worse
The Sixers play the Wizards at home Wednesday evening. Is there a more listless, faceless, bland organization in the entire league, perhaps in the four major North American pro sports, than the Washington Wizards? As much as the Sixers drive me bananas, how could you deal with being a Bullets/Wizards fan at any point in 45-plus years? Old Man Michael Jordan couldn’t even take them to the playoffs!
The Sixers haven’t won a championship in a long, long time, but at least they’ve been blessed with true star power in the decades since that make you give a damn about the team, from Charles Barkley to Iverson to Joel Embiid to Tyrese Maxey now. The Sixers haven’t made an Eastern Conference Finals since 2001. That really sucks, but the Washington franchise hasn’t made one since 1979! Imagine how maddening it is to care about basketball while growing up in the DMV area.
This isn’t to say you should stop complaining about the Sixers organization and holding them accountable, far from it, but there truly are some putrid franchises out there.
