The Philadelphia 76ers are horrible (obviously) and should start being criticized more than they have been.
The 76ers (15-55) are in the middle of a franchise record 24-game losing streak. Their loss to the Bulls on Saturday can not be described as a nail in the coffin. That is only because the final nail in the 76ers' coffin (or season) came earlier in the season, before the streak began, when they had a record of 15-31. Saturday's loss to the Bulls could best be described as the final flame in the bowels of Hell.
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"We were 1 for 20 -- what do you say?" coach Brett Brown said. "It's going to be hard. I thought our defense was really quite good. It's always going to be hard if you can't make perimeter shots. This group has struggled doing that, and so, finding wins and finding ways to stay in games is always going to be a challenge."
In any situation, there should always be an upside. Just ask 76ers' center Henry Sims.
"We're learning to play better with each other," said Sims. "We're learning to make better decisions down the stretch. We're growing right now, and that's the main focus right now. The games we have left, we want to keep growing."
Sims is right. There is an upside to the 76ers' historically horrific 2014 season; it can't get much worse. Well, that is not entirely true. The team is two losses away from tying the NBA record for consecutive losses in a season. The record currently belongs to the 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers. While I don't want to discourage 76ers' fans (though I'm not sure that's even possible at this point) there is little chance the team wins their next two games.
Other than the obvious fact that the 76ers have lost 24 games in a row, the team has little chance of winning because their next two games are against the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets. I don't want to say they have a Philly Chesse Steak chance in Hell of winning those two games, but in all reality they have no chance. The “record breaking game” would come at home against the Detroit Pistons.
"There's a win in this group," said Brown. "We will continue to fight and continue to stay together. I'm just thrilled, I'm proud of their ability, their character, to stay together in what's clearly difficult times."
There is no win in this group. A team that loses 24-straight games is either horrible or losing purposely. I am not suggesting that the 76ers are losing purposely. However the league needs to maintain their level of competition. It's one thing for a team to rebuild during the regular season. It's another thing to put out a poor excuse for a lineup and expect to lose every time out. I have no doubt the 76ers are playing their best; and that is the scary part. These players do not have the skill set to be in the NBA. The Philadelphia management team needs to be held accountable for the product on the court.
In fact, I firmly believe the highlight of the season thus far was Allen Iverson's retirement ceremony. At least fans were given some appearance of passion and caring from the Philadelphia front office. If the 76ers don't shape up, there won't just be changes blowing in the wind. There will be “firings” blowing in the wind.
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