“I have six words and only six words to say about the @Sixers: The Philadelphia 76ers. Passionate. Intense. Proud.”
– Adam Aron via Twitter
How can you not be proud of a team that opens up a rushed preseason with a 103-78 spanking of the Washington Wizards on Friday?
The 10-9-8-76ers flashed tons of brilliance and promise in the second half of last season under Doug Collins before bowing out to the Miami LeFrauds Heat in the playoffs. Apparently, a lack of a real training camp didn’t keep the squad from playing together on the court.
The Sixers were overly impressive in their 25-point spanking of the Wizards on Friday. There were many positives to take from the preseason opener.
Among the items that jump out at you in perusing the box score:
- Lou Williams and Evan Turner drop a combined 35 points in 40 minutes off the bench.
- Spencer Hawes had 14 points and nine boards in 19 minutes of action.
- Jrue Holiday dropped a dozen points and collected five dimes.
- Andre Iguodala added five assists in 20 minutes but failed to score, going 0-for-6 from the field.
That last line is scary.
The guy has been bashed in Philly for failing to live up to a contract that overpays him. He’s paid as an elite guy, but is more of a number two guy. His defense, passing ability and unselfish play makes him a commodity across the NBA. However, his lack of ability to hit the shot in the clutch — rightly or wrongly — has ruined his rep in the stands of the Wells Fargo Center.
Failing to score in the preseason opener will do nothing to help that. Granted, it’s one game — a preseason contest at that. But, zero points is zero points.
If one guy needs to come out and ball out in the team’s next — and last — preseason game, it’s Iggy. All eyes will be on him, and rightly so. The fact is, the Sixers need Andre Iguodala to be at an all-star level to truly compete for a top 4 spot in the talented Eastern Conference.
