Sixers Offer Little Resistance to Celtics

The Sixers played the best team in the world last night and the results were entirely predictable. In the Tony DiLeo era, the team has beaten two bad teams, lost to a bad team, and lost to a great team. It was certainly hard to find any silver linings in Boston. Curiously, the Sixers got off to a fast start, as they have repeatedly this season. In the first quarter, Andres Miller and Iguodala were white hot, finishing off fast breaks, Iguodala above the rim and Miller with his clever below-the-rim maneuvers. But like a comet burning itself out, it was downhill from there. From then on, it was the Celtics on the run and the Sixers in slow motion. It hardly seemed to matter whether the coach was Cheeks or DiLeo, or whether Brand or Green were in the lineup or not.

Aside from the first quarter last night, the Philly offense continues to struggle for its identity. Look no further than Reggie Evans outscoring Thaddeus Young 12 to 7 and Evans accomplishing this in half as many minutes as Young. Thaddeus, who started the season well, has been floundering for weeks, reduced to a long-range shooter which he decidedly is not. Until this Sixer team figures out how to get Young involved in the offense to the tune of at least 15 points a night, they are not going to succeed.

The three-point line continues to be a nemesis for the Sixers, at both ends of the court. They shot 0-11 last night, their second consecutive shutout. Perhaps even more damaging, they allowed 7-14 shooting from the Celtics. Admittedly, Boston creates many matchup problems, but this has been a problem against other teams as well.

But make no mistake, these Celtics are at the top of their game as they make history. It's hard to see what could derail them aside from major injury.