SIXERS: Team Heads West Looking for Some Wins

The Philadelphia 76ers continue to pile up the losses, except for a great victory last week  over the Boston Celtics at the Garden.  Why does it always seem that the Sixers only play well against the league’s best.  Those efforts usually result in close, competitive games that end in defeat but make you think if they play this well against Boston (11/25 loss 110-113, 12/18 win 98-97), Cleveland (12/16 loss 97-91), and Dallas (11/30 loss 102-104) they would surely be able to beat the likes of the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards.  Not so.  The Sixers fall short against those teams as well.  After a huge upset, they have started another losing streak.  They have a record of 7-21, meaning they will have to go 34-20 for the rest of the season just to finish at .500.  If they want that to happen, it will need to start with what is historically the most difficult part of their schedule: the late-December West coast trip.  These include trips to Utah (loss), Portland (loss), Sacramento (potential win), Los Angeles Clippers (potential win), and Denver (loss).  If the Sixers win both the Kings and Clippers matchups, it won’t be a terrible trip, but because of the hole they have dug themselves in, they need to upset one of the three teams that I have penciled in as losses.  On a positive note, Allen Iverson is expected to return to the team after missing the last three games on Saturday when the Sixers head to Salt Lake City.  At the end of this West Coast trip, we will know if this team is going to have a prayer to make the playoffs or if it’s time to start looking towards the NBA Draft in June.

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