When the shortened season started and the Philadelphia 76ers came out blazing with a 20-9 record to lead the Atlantic Division, there was little doubt in anyone’s mind about the new direction Doug Collins and the team was headed.
They had experienced a tough playoff run against the Miami Heat the previous season, and had looked to grow from the experience.
It was, however, noted that they also had one of the easiest schedules to start the season. Looking back, they played the first 18 of their 27 games at home, and 14 of their 20 wins were against teams that are currently out of the playoff race.
Still, no one doubted whether this team would be in playoff contention come April.
Until now.
Since the hot start, Philadelphia has gone 9-17, relinquished its Atlantic Division lead, and now for the first time, is in real danger of missing the playoffs holding a measly one-game lead over the Knicks while the Bucks trail them by 1 1/2 games.
Things won’t get any easier as they play nine of their final 11 games on the road, where they are just 10-14.
Luckily, they do play some bad teams along the way, including New Jersey three times, Toronto, Cleveland and Detroit.
On Saturday night, their losing streak reached three games after a loss against the dysfunctional Magic, and changes may soon be on the way if things don’t soon improve.
From Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer: “Doug Collins has just about had enough. The 76ers coach inferred that lineup changes could take place if the team continues its floundering ways… Collins blasted his team and subsequently his starters for slow starts. Orlando took a 12-2 lead to open the game and also began the third quarter on a 15-7 run. Collins said he won’t make a change for Sunday’s game in Boston against the Celtics, but all bets are off after that. The Sixers trail the Celtics by two games in the Atlantic Division, with both teams having 11 left to play. “I am going to give the starting unit one more time and if we start like that again, I’m going to make a change,” Collins said. “. . . They will get a chance [Sunday] but I told them we can’t keep digging holes like that.” It appears that the former starter Jodie Meeks could be getting his spot back. Meeks had 16 points off the bench. He and Lou Williams, who scored 15 off the bench, gave the Sixers energy. Collins inferred that Williams would continue to come off the bench, but he also lavished praise on Meeks, which means Evan Turner’s days as a starter could be numbered.”
The Magic, going through their own turmoil, finally managed to get a much-needed win to move within one game of the third-seeded Pacers. However, Dwight Howard’s back spasms returned and could be an issue for the remainder of the season.
From Josh Robbins of Orlando Sentinel: “This victory meant so much because the Orlando Magic had overcome so much. Injuries, a spirit-sapping losing streak and a messy spat involving Van Gundy and Dwight Howard did not stop the team from grinding out an 88-82 road win over the Philadelphia 76ers. “I told them that’s the best one of the entire season,” Van Gundy said. They had to scratch and claw for it. Howard played almost the entire second half despite back spasms, and he scored 20 points and collected a game-high 22 rebounds. Davis, who started in played of injured power forward Ryan Anderson, scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. And J.J. Redick, pushed into the starting lineup because of Hedo Turkoglu’s injury, netted 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter… The Magic desperately needed a win. They ended a five-game game losing streak and avoided their first six-game losing streak since the 2005-06 season.”
Meanwhile, a similar situation to Philadelphia’s could be unfolding for the champion Dallas Mavericks. Never mind a chance to repeat, they might not even make it back to the playoffs.
After going through various stretches of winning and losing, they are back on a losing skid, dropping three of their last four games. They have dropped to the seventh seed, hold a 1/2 game lead over Denver, and 1 1/2 games over Phoenix and Utah. Five of their remaining nine games are against teams with winning records.
From Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “The situation for the Dallas Mavericks is almost at the alarming stage. Well, actually, after Saturday’s 94-89 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum, the Mavericks are probably dialing 911 looking for answers to their relatively dire situation. Especially since they’ve lost three of the past four games and are hanging precariously at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture. It’s so bleak for the Mavericks that guard Jason Terry declared that they have no choice but to find a way to scrap for a win Tuesday at home against the lowly Sacramento Kings. “Sacramento is a must-win,” said Terry, who scored 12 points and distributed eight assists. “You can’t drop three in a row and remain in this playoff race. “It’s a must-win for us. Everybody should have a sense of urgency. If they don’t, they don’t care.”
The Grizzlies are hitting their stride just in the nick of time, much like last season, winning seven of their last nine games including impressive victories over division leading Lakers, Thunder and the Heat.
Rudy Gay scored a game-high 25 points for the Grizzlies, who are still acclimating Zach Randolph back into the rotation. Gilbert Arenas is also starting to make his mark off the bench, averaging 11 points on 66.7% shooting in just under 14 minutes over his last four games.
Back in the East, the division-leading Celtics bounced back from a two-game slide to defeat the Pacers, ending Indiana’s four-game winning streak.
From Mark Murphy of Boston Herald: “Finally, a pace they could live with. The Celtics shot 42.1 percent from the floor last night, Indiana was worse at 35.1 percent, and all was well again in a very unsightly way. Two nights after a loss in Chicago that Doc Rivers called the worst of the season, and one night after Indiana destroyed Oklahoma City on this same Bankers Life Fieldhouse floor, the Celtics rediscovered their defensive core in last night’s 86-72 win over the Pacers. Coupled with Philadelphia’s loss to Orlando last night, the Celtics now have a two-game lead at the top of the Atlantic Division, with a chance to boost themselves further when the Sixers visit the Garden today. Ugly was once again their beauty secret. The Celtics survived such cold performances as Brandon Bass (two points) going 0-for-6 and Kevin Garnett scoring 15 points on a 6-for-15 evening, including 2-for-8 during the first three quarters. Garnett, though, also helped break the game open with a 10-point fourth quarter. The Ray Allen bench experiment also took its first successful step. The Celtics guard subbed for starting guard Avery Bradley for the second straight game, was in the finishing unit, and ended with 19 points, including five 3-pointers.”
Elsewhere…
- Playing without the league-leading scorer Kobe Bryant for the first time this season due to a shin injury, the Lakers lost to the Suns,125-105. It was a sigh of relief for Phoenix, as Bryant had averaged 38.6 points in the previous three games against them. Former Laker Shannon Brown led seven players in double figures with 24 points, Michael Redd added 23 points, and Steve Nash had 13 points and 11 assists. Pau Gasol had 30 points and 13 rebounds while Andrew Bynum had 23 points on 10-of-27 shooting and 18 rebounds.
- The Clippers have won eight of their last nine games, including back-to-back victories against the Kings — the latest a 109-94 win that gave them a sweep of the three-game season series. They moved within 1/2 game of the Lakers for the Pacific Division lead and the third seed in the West. Despite missing six of nine free throws, Blake Griffin dominated with 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting, 14 rebounds and four assists. Chris Paul had 19 points, 15 assists and seven steals while Randy Foye added 25 points, including seven 3-pointers. After calling Griffin an actor and getting fined for criticizing the refs, DeMarcus Cousins shot 5-of-19 for 15 points and grabbed 20 rebounds.
- Failing to take advantage of another matchup considered favorable, the Nuggets suffered a 112-97 defeat against the Warriors, who had lost 12 of their last 15 games. Brandon Rush led seven players in double figures with 20 points while Ty Lawson had 21 points and six assists. After losing for the fourth time against teams with losing records over the past two weeks, Denver is in danger of losing a grip of the eighth spot in the Western Conference, holding a 1/2 game lead over Phoenix and Utah.
- After losing three of four, the Hawks have taken advantage of a light schedule in recent games to win three straight, beating the league-worst Bobcats 116-96. They now trail the Pacers by just 1/2 game for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Joe Johnson scored 18 points while Zaza Pachulia had 12 points and 16 rebounds. Charlotte has now lost 11 consecutive games.
- The Bucks won their fourth straight game and moved to within 1/2 game of the eighth-seeded Knicks on Saturday night, defeating the Blazers 116-94. Portland trailed by three points heading into the fourth quarter, but Milwaukee blew it open by outscoring its opponent 30-11. Brandon Jennings and Beno Udrih each 21 points while Ersan Ilyasova had 20 points and 12 rebounds.
- After suffering their worst loss of the season against the Spurs, the Hornets came out on fire to defeat the team the struggling Timberwolves 99-90. Jason Smith had a career-high 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting and 10 rebounds while standing his ground against one of the best power forwards in Kevin Love, who had 29 points and 12 rebounds. Chris Kaman was nearly flawless, scoring 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting along with 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Minnesota has now lost a season-high five straight games, helping the cause of New Orleans which holds their first-round pick.
James Park is a regular contributor to Sheridanhoops.com. Follow him on twitter.