Celtics beat Sixers, good guards would be nice

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Every game against a good team that the Sixers make a four-quarter affair has to be considered some sort of success, so hard to get too upset about losing to the Celtics at home last night by an almost-respectable 15-point margin. The team played hard, they occasionally played well, and they never totally capitulated, but they still lost soundly. Celtics 120, 76ers 105. Whatever.

The bummer about this one was just how much higher-functioning the Celtics' players were — particularly in the backcourt — than ours. Their guards can, like, do things. Avery Bradley, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart, even our old friend Evan Turner. They defend, they penetrate, they crash the boards, they make plays, they shoot. (Well, a couple of them shoot.) Watching that quartet combine for 78 points, 23 boards, 19 assists, and seven steals, while Ish Smith clanks a million long jumpers and Isaiah Canaan loses motor function inside the three-point line was certainly a sobering exercise in contrast. (Another good-ish Stauskas game off the bench, at least — 12 points on eight shots, six boards, three assists. It's as good a reason as any to keep watching this season.)

Of course, it wasn't just in the back where the Sixers were outclassed in the half-court — the C's got a parade of layups, dunks and floaters at the rim, where Nerlens Noel and Jerami Grant were strangely powerless to help. They were too often a split second late with their rotation or (more frequently) their recognition, and they let the offense get between them and the cup more times than Brett Brown could probably stand to watch. Our guards certainly didn't make it easier by offering much resistence on the perimeter, but the Sixers' season-long defensive woes could probably be summed up in Amir Johnson's 18 point, 9-10 FG line from this one. (Minor shouts to Carl Landry's 26-point, eight-board effort on the other end, though — keeping 'em honest, at least. Hope we get you a nice deal with a better team next season, bud.)

Only 12 games to go. Four games on the road coming up, starting tonight in Indiana — the Sixers' fourth game in five nights. If we had legit starters, Brett Brown would probably rest 'em in this one. Regardless, get ready for some major PT, Sonny Weems.

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