October 28, 2015
It’s weird to describe a 17-point loss as satisfying, but Philadelphia 76ers fans have legitimate reason to celebrate after their team fell on the road to the Boston Celtics, 112-95. That is because both of the team’s prized young big men, Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, were excellent in the season opener.
In the end, the largely healthy Celtics used a deep bench and transition game to run away with an easy win. The shorthanded and injured Sixers, who only had nine players available, just couldn’t keep up. Here’s what I saw:
• Due to various injuries, Isaiah Canaan, Hollis Thompson, and JaKarr Sampson started at the 1-3 spots. That group possesses some shooting, but my main question heading into tonight’s game was how the Sixers would be able to consistently create shots. Brett Brown’s answer was to…
• Play through his two young big men, whether they are ready or not. Jahlil Okafor certainly answered the bell early, scoring 10 points on his first five shots. Brad Stevens didn’t like what he saw from Tyler Zeller, so he went to the stouter Jared Sullinger and Amir Johnson against Big Jah. It really didn’t matter all that much. Operating from all over the floor (mid-post, low block, foul line, etc.), Okafor finished what 26 points (10-16 FG, 6-6 FT) and 7 rebounds. Excellent performance.
• Nerlens Noel had a strong offensive game (14 points, 12 rebounds), and he also picked up right off defensively from the preseason. Specifically, Noel was a turnover-forcing machine, with two blocks and three steals. His hands were everywhere.
• Isaiah Canaan does one thing well, and that’s shoot the three ball. The good news for the Sixers is that Lil’ Sip was on tonight: 18 points, and 4-10 shooting from deep.
• So, how did the Sixers lose this game by 17? For one, they turned the ball over 22 times. Noel and Okafor combined for 11 of them. While certainly not good, this was predictable outcome without many creators and shooters on the perimeter.
• During his halftime chat with CSN Philly’s Molly French, Brown surmised that the turnovers and missed shots hurt the Sixers greatly in transition. It’s true that Boston feasted in the open floor, as the ESPN box scored listed them with 26 fast break points. Okafor, who played 38 minutes out of necessity, looked particularly gassed at times.
• And playing with only nine players, Brown didn’t get a lot of help from the bench and Hollis Thompson (3-15 shooting). Again, not totally unexpected:
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