2017-18 NBA Season

[GannonFan]

Can't expect to win games when you shoot less than 20% from deep and when your opponent, who isn't known as a 3pt shooting team, almost shoots 50% from there. Considering the disparity in shooting, the Sixers did well to keep it a game until very late in the 4th. Clearly need to do better, both shooting the ball (and there were enough open looks there to think they should be much better than 20%) as well as getting Boston off the 3pt line. Covington showed why he won't be a starter next year - didn't do anything anywhere on the court last night.

Good wake up call and now they get to sit around and stew on that loss for a couple of nights. Gotta take one in Boston and feel pretty good about the games in Philly.

On another note, this series just pulls the scab off again on the fleecing that Ainge did on Colangelo regarding Fultz and Tatum and coughing up a first round pick (Sacramento in 2019) to boot. Hinkie never would've made that trade (damn NBA forcing Hinkie out), and watching Fultz sit on the sideline with a dazed look in his eyes like he just went through electrical shock treatment while Tatum is putting up close to 30 is something that will follow Colangelo forever.

[93henfan]

Did Ben Simmons play tonight? /sarcasm

Stick a fork in the Sixers.

[Ivytalk]

And Toronto playoff losing streak to the Cleveland Jameses is up to 8.

[GannonFan]

And Toronto playoff losing streak to the Cleveland Jameses is up to 8.

You could tell after game 1 that Toronto has Lebron James PTSD, and last night was just more of the same abuse. They can't guard Lebron, they know they can't guard Lebron, and they've already given up. That was the last basketball game of the season in Toronto, that series is over in 4.

[GannonFan]

Did Ben Simmons play tonight? /sarcasm

Stick a fork in the Sixers.

Not yet. No one's lost a home game in this series yet so let's see how Game 3 unfolds. Boston hasn't been very good on the road in the playoffs, actually they've been pretty bad, while they've been a different team at home. The Sixers losing has been pretty disheartening, especially when they could've won both games so far in the series but couldn't shoot in game 1 and couldn't finish Boston off in game 2. If the Sixers take care of business on home court then next Wednesday is the start of the best of 3 series. They'll have to get over this mental block of winning in Boston to win the series, obviously, but I think the series goes 6 or 7 games.

Oh, and the obligatory "Colangelo is not Hinkie" comment - again watching Tatum go off while Fultz falls asleep watching the game on the sideline with his blank stare is the worst part of this series. Hinkie never would've made that trade - likely Boston still picks Tatum #1 over Fultz (they obviously realized Fultz was a snowflake) and we still end up with Fultz, but at least we wouldn't have thrown away the Kings #1 pick in 2019 as Colangelo did. Never should've gotten rid of Hinkie.

[93henfan]

Stick a fork in the Sixers.

Bump.

Sixers had so many chances to win Game 3 and simply pissed them all away. Not ready for prime time. Maybe next year with competent coaching. Brett Brown has to be shit-canned. He's lost all three games.

Simmons is a turnover machine. First he turns his back on Redick's pass with 8 seconds left in regulation, leading to Boston's go ahead score which required a Belinelli miracle shot to force OT. Then Simmons botches the inbound pass with 5.5 seconds left in OT, losing the game. This after not even showing up in Game 2. Just a brutal series for Simmons. I didn't expect him to come up so small.

[GannonFan]

Yup, they're done now. I wouldn't be so hard on Simmons, he's not the reason they're down 3-0. It's not often I would agree with Stephen A, but if you swapped the coaches in this series it would be the Sixers up 3-0. Brad Stevens called an in bounds play that ended up having Covington front Horford all alone under the basket in a crucial spot with no help. How the defensive set has Embiid running with his back turned to cover Jaylon Brown at the 3-point line on the other side of the court is beyond me. And then the Sixers inbound play right after that has Embiid coming hard up above the 3 point line with his back to the basket and trying to catch a pass that gets stolen by Horford. Brett Brown has done wonders making a wonderful culture and has gotten the Sixers to a spot no one would've thought they'd be at for another year or two, but unless he can be a good sideline coach now is certainly in question, at least against someone like Stevens.

Oh, and Colangelo deciding to swap picks and give the Celtics another #1 pick so that he could take Fultz over Tatum has all the makings of one of the worst trades ever. Fultz needs to show up next year and play basketball. They needed a scorer like what he's supposed to be tonight and he wasn't there, as he hasn't been there all year. Again, Hinkie would never have been fleeced like that for so little in return.

On to next year, get Lebron, and all is good. Paul George would be fine too. I might even be fine with Kwahi depending on the trade. #TrusttheProcess

[89Hen]

CHOKE

[UNI88]

Yup, they're done now. I wouldn't be so hard on Simmons, he's not the reason they're down 3-0. It's not often I would agree with Stephen A, but if you swapped the coaches in this series it would be the Sixers up 3-0. Brad Stevens called an in bounds play that ended up having Covington front Horford all alone under the basket in a crucial spot with no help. How the defensive set has Embiid running with his back turned to cover Jaylon Brown at the 3-point line on the other side of the court is beyond me. And then the Sixers inbound play right after that has Embiid coming hard up above the 3 point line with his back to the basket and trying to catch a pass that gets stolen by Horford. Brett Brown has done wonders making a wonderful culture and has gotten the Sixers to a spot no one would've thought they'd be at for another year or two, but unless he can be a good sideline coach now is certainly in question, at least against someone like Stevens.

Sounds similar to where the Bulls were years ago with Collins. A lot of people were upset when they replaced Collins with Phil Jackson at the time but it worked out pretty well for them in the long run.

Oh, and Colangelo deciding to swap picks and give the Celtics another #1 pick so that he could take Fultz over Tatum has all the makings of one of the worst trades ever. Fultz needs to show up next year and play basketball. They needed a scorer like what he's supposed to be tonight and he wasn't there, as he hasn't been there all year. Again, Hinkie would never have been fleeced like that for so little in return.

Anyone who has read this thread knows how you feel about this. No reason to go all JSO and hammer away at it on every post.

[Gil Dobie]

Did Ben Simmons play tonight? /sarcasm

Stick a fork in the Sixers.

Young Ben has a ways to go.

[GannonFan]

Oh, and Colangelo deciding to swap picks and give the Celtics another #1 pick so that he could take Fultz over Tatum has all the makings of one of the worst trades ever. Fultz needs to show up next year and play basketball. They needed a scorer like what he's supposed to be tonight and he wasn't there, as he hasn't been there all year. Again, Hinkie would never have been fleeced like that for so little in return.

Anyone who has read this thread knows how you feel about this. No reason to go all JSO and hammer away at it on every post.

Eh, it literally could be that epic of a move that it needs to be retold. Couple that with the fact that the NBA forced the Sixers to remove Hinkie and replace him with ultimate NBA insider Colangelo and that insider guy is the one who may have whiffed on this trade.

[Ivytalk]

Did Ben Simmons play tonight? /sarcasm

Stick a fork in the Sixers.

Young Ben has a ways to go.

J. Gilmour Dobie, Esq., strikes again!

[Ivytalk]

Sixers avoid sweep, beat Celts 103-92. Simmons didn’t suck tonight.

[bluehenbillk]

It was about time Covington got benched last night. Still sucked shooting from 3, still sucked finsining drives & still sucked on defense. Who would've thunk TJ would play such a crucial role..

[GannonFan]

Well, you can't come back from a 3-0 deficit without first making the series 3-1, so the Sixers did that. Who knows, maybe TJ is the new "Boston Strangler" - he looked very Andrew Toney-like out there at times.

You can see what the Sixers are missing - they need that player that can dribble penetrate and shoot on his own. All of the Sixers shooters right now are guys who can jack the threes but need a lot of help and multiple screens to get open. If Fultz is still around next year, and if he's given mental clearance, he needs to be that kind of player as that's why he got drafted where he did.

Getting back to Boston for a Game 5 was a good step for the Sixers. But they can really start getting the Celtics attention and get them nervous if they could find a way to win Game 5 and bring it back to Philly for another game. Boston surely doesn't want the series to extend, especially now that the Cavs are getting rested, and as Boston was getting nicked up themselves last night.

[Ivytalk]

So much for the Process.

[GannonFan]

So much for the Process.

How many times did you erase that and put the post away while the Sixers were coming back in the second half? The Process is alive and well - the Sixers will be better next year than this year and that trend will continue for years to come. Assuming Colangelo doesn't blow it, the future is very bright. Every team can't be the Eagles.

[Ivytalk]

So much for the Process.

How many times did you erase that and put the post away while the Sixers were coming back in the second half? The Process is alive and well - the Sixers will be better next year than this year and that trend will continue for years to come. Assuming Colangelo doesn't blow it, the future is very bright. Every team can't be the Eagles.

The Royal Wulff never fails!

[93henfan]

There’s really no way to spin that disaster. What a piss poor performance from top to bottom. Tank for half a decade and this is what gets put on the court? The team is SOFT.

And you’re not going to win many series when your so-called Rookie of the Year candidate disappears, averaging just 14 points per game in a crucial playoff series, and turning the ball over like a machine. Let’s hope he doesn’t become the Alex Ovechkin of basketball: all regular season flash; zero leadership under pressure.

Embiid was really the only bright spot.

Need to start by firing Brett Brown by noon today.

[GannonFan]

Stop it. They tanked for three seasons. The team that lost this series, which I admit they should've won, was picked to win 40 games this year and maybe squeak into the playoffs, and those two goals were scoffed at by many on here before the season started, including most of the lawyers from Harvard who post here. And I don't classify them as soft - a soft team doesn't extend the series to five games and a soft team doesn't come back from being down double digits in the second half to actually take a 4-5 point lead in the 4th quarter. They don't know how to finish, and that's been a problem all year, but that's a different problem than being soft, which they aren't.

Gotta look at the big picture and step back. No one's going to argue that it doesn't suck that they lost the way they did and to the team they lost to. They should've beaten this Celtics team and they had plenty of chances to do so, and most of the reasons they lost are due to their own performance (well, lack of particularly). And Brett Brown is a huge question mark now - great guy, deserves all the credit in the world for creating the culture the team has now which is fantastic, and he deserves credit for finding gems like Covington and McConnell during the tanking. But he either learns from this and gets better during the game or he's outta here.

But no one would've predicted the Sixers would be this far along as they are now - they are a legit 50-60 win team now, likely for the next 10 years or so, they have two of the most promising rising stars in the league in Simmons and Embiid, both of whom basically finished their first season in the league last night, and they have a smattering of role players (Saric, Redick, McConnell - yes, I'll include him now, Covington - as a guy off the bench, not a starter) who they can build around. Fultz is clearly the kind of player they desperately need (dynamic scorer who can shoot or drive) and is long enough to play quality defense against type of player Tatum is - if they can get him right in the head and on the court playing like that then it's a huge addition. And they have the most cap space in the league this off-season. The Process is ongoing, the team just got farther along this year than anyone predicted. Paul George would fit here, obviously Lebron would fit here, a trade for Kawhi Leonard would fit here.

They did all they did this year (3 seed in the East, 50+ wins, won a playoff series) with an incomplete roster. Fill in the holes that this series exposed, get another year older, and maybe next year or the year after we'll be lining the streets in Philly with red, white and blue colors, jamming to the Sixers song, and all chanting "Trust the Process". It's just beginning.

[93henfan]

Stop it. They tanked for three seasons. The team that lost this series, which I admit they should've won, was picked to win 40 games this year and maybe squeak into the playoffs, and those two goals were scoffed at by many on here before the season started, including most of the lawyers from Harvard who post here. And I don't classify them as soft - a soft team doesn't extend the series to five games and a soft team doesn't come back from being down double digits in the second half to actually take a 4-5 point lead in the 4th quarter. They don't know how to finish, and that's been a problem all year, but that's a different problem than being soft, which they aren't.

Gotta look at the big picture and step back. No one's going to argue that it doesn't suck that they lost the way they did and to the team they lost to. They should've beaten this Celtics team and they had plenty of chances to do so, and most of the reasons they lost are due to their own performance (well, lack of particularly). And Brett Brown is a huge question mark now - great guy, deserves all the credit in the world for creating the culture the team has now which is fantastic, and he deserves credit for finding gems like Covington and McConnell during the tanking. But he either learns from this and gets better during the game or he's outta here.

But no one would've predicted the Sixers would be this far along as they are now - they are a legit 50-60 win team now, likely for the next 10 years or so, they have two of the most promising rising stars in the league in Simmons and Embiid, both of whom basically finished their first season in the league last night, and they have a smattering of role players (Saric, Redick, McConnell - yes, I'll include him now, Covington - as a guy off the bench, not a starter) who they can build around. Fultz is clearly the kind of player they desperately need (dynamic scorer who can shoot or drive) and is long enough to play quality defense against type of player Tatum is - if they can get him right in the head and on the court playing like that then it's a huge addition. And they have the most cap space in the league this off-season. The Process is ongoing, the team just got farther along this year than anyone predicted. Paul George would fit here, obviously Lebron would fit here, a trade for Kawhi Leonard would fit here.

They did all they did this year (3 seed in the East, 50+ wins, won a playoff series) with an incomplete roster. Fill in the holes that this series exposed, get another year older, and maybe next year or the year after we'll be lining the streets in Philly with red, white and blue colors, jamming to the Sixers song, and all chanting "Trust the Process". It's just beginning.

[GannonFan]

So what part was wrong? What do you disagree with? Basically said losing this series sucks. Said that the Sixers are going to be a 50+ win team for each of the next 10 years. Said the Sixers are going to add a big piece this coming offseason. Said that if they ever get Fultz back as the player he could/should be that would be a huge get. Which one(s) do you disagree with? Times your's

[93henfan]

So what part was wrong? What do you disagree with? Basically said losing this series sucks. Said that the Sixers are going to be a 50+ win team for each of the next 10 years. Said the Sixers are going to add a big piece this coming offseason. Said that if they ever get Fultz back as the player he could/should be that would be a huge get. Which one(s) do you disagree with? Times your's

They’re soft. Pushed around like 150 lb weaklings.

Maybe they’ll bring in a mercenary like LeBron who knows how to win, but this current roster is SOFT.

[GannonFan]

So what part was wrong? What do you disagree with? Basically said losing this series sucks. Said that the Sixers are going to be a 50+ win team for each of the next 10 years. Said the Sixers are going to add a big piece this coming offseason. Said that if they ever get Fultz back as the player he could/should be that would be a huge get. Which one(s) do you disagree with? Times your's

They’re soft. Pushed around like 150 lb weaklings.

Maybe they’ll bring in a mercenary like LeBron who knows how to win, but this current roster is SOFT.

They're not a finished product yet. And they don't call them mercenaries, they call them "free agents". Sports term.

[93henfan]

They’re soft. Pushed around like 150 lb weaklings.

Maybe they’ll bring in a mercenary like LeBron who knows how to win, but this current roster is SOFT.

They're not a finished product yet. And they don't call them mercenaries, they call them "free agents". Sports term.

So you agree, soft. Thanks.

Just be honest with yourself from time to time. That team isn’t ready for prime time.

You figure after tanking for half a decade they’d have come up with a decent roster by now. Alas, shitty drafting and whiff after whiff. Even the two decent picks they made, one is constantly getting injured and the other disappears during playoff games.