The Philadelphia 76ers continued their limp into the NBA All-Star break with a crushing loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday and have now lost three consecutive games and five of their last seven since their Boss-induced win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
See how far they fell in the national NBA Power rankings following their three-loss week.
John Schuhmann, NBA.com - 8th (4th in East)
The Sixers have lost five of their last seven, with their four-man backcourt (Holiday, Meeks, Turner and Williams) combining to shoot 37 percent in that stretch. This is a team that could use the All-Star break, but they have a road back-to-back in Memphis and Houston before they get it.
Tom Ziller, SB Nation - 9th (5th in East)
The Sixers' slide isn't terribly surprising or dispiriting: They aren't losing to patsies, and their early season schedule was very light. Things had to normalize at some point.
Chris Sheridan, Sheridan Hoops - 8th (4th in East)
Have dropped four of six, losing to every quality opponent they have faced. I said it last week and I'll say it again: An Andres Nocioni-Shawn Marion deal helps both teams, Philly in the short term and Dallas for next summer. (Nocioni's contract is non-guaranteed next season). Milk carton mention for Jodie Meeks, scoreless vs. Mavs and 1-of-8 in last two games from downtown
John Hollinger, ESPN - 5th (3rd in the East)
Marc Stein, ESPN - 7th (3rd in the East)
A healthy Spencer Hawes was one of the first contenders to emerge in the MIP race now led by J-Lin. Now? Hawes is simply missed. The Sixers are 8-10 without him and an equally frustrating 0-5 in games decided by four points or fewer, which makes Philly the league's only team without a win in those circumstances.
Composite: 7.4 (3.8 in East)
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0 recs | 10 comments
Can't we go back to January...I liked that month.
Sophomore Rankings
Listed under ‘Players with starting, if not starring, potential’
6. Evan Turner, 76ers
If the NBA handed out its Most Improved Player award now, Turner would be a finalist. He has been much closer this season to what Philly expected of him in his rookie campaign; he is doing lots of little things to help his team win.
Can he score 20-plus points in a game? Yes. Can he grab 10-plus rebounds in a game? Yes. Can he control the ball for long stretches and help run the team as an off guard? Yes. UPDATED: Can he make one mistake and sit for the rest of the game because of it? Yes.
E.T.23 - February 20, 2012
can he also make rookie mistakes as of recent and shoot long jumpers that he can’t hit at a good rate? Can he not do what he’s good at and dribble the air out of the ball along the perimeter instead of work down his man and try to get into the lane? Yes, he can do all of those too.
Turner’s leash is a bit shorter than I want it to be, but you have to admit that he hasn’t been that great recently.
jefu - February 20, 2012
Definitely agreed. I just wonder how much his lack of aggressiveness (as well as Jrue’s) has been in response to Collins coaching him to not take risks with the ball. I can’t figure out if its the players or the coach.
J.P.Melle - February 21, 2012
Ziller having the Knicks over the Sixers makes me nauseous.
Michael Levin - February 20, 2012
Me too but since the Knicks are “legit” & we aren’t should we be surprised?
KJ Brophy - February 20, 2012
while I respect him for all that he has done (especially his coverage of the lockout), he also tends to ride the bandwagon a bit and over-hype his crappy Kings team.
jefu - February 20, 2012
0-5 in games decided by four points or fewer, which makes Philly the league’s only team without a win in those circumstances.
SMH
mrprice33 - February 20, 2012
Marion for Noc?
Huh? Not that this is even a rumor, but this is one I haven’t heard. I am not even sure how I feel about that. I always felt Marion was undersized, but could produce on a team with more power or physicality down low. I don’t know if this is that team.
Does this team really miss Spencer Hawes, or is it a case of “They are who we thought they were”?
Dozer3677 - February 20, 2012
it’s one you haven’t heard because marc stein is a moron.
jefu - February 20, 2012
marc steinchris sheridanjefu - February 20, 2012
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