If ever a team deserved a standing ovation for a regular-season loss — which, thankfully the Philadelphia 76ers actually got from the not-WFC faithful for their efforts in this one — it was Saturday.
The Sixers battled back against the Golden State Warriors from what should've been third-quarter garbage time to make it close enough for coach Steve Kerr to have to call his first unit back in. That should've been victory enough for Philly, but our guys actually managed to press the Warriors to keep it to about a ten-point game, until a no-call on a missed Ish Smith layup led to a Stephen Curry three at the other end, putting Golden State up 13 with 3:45 to go. That should have been enough, but somehow, someway, the Sixers carved into the lead, capitalizing on a tightening GSW offense and a miracle Isaiah Canaan four-point play to actually tie the game up with 22 seconds to go.
Unfortunately, that last part would actually have to be enough, as an incomprehensible double-team on Curry at the top of the key on the final Warriors possession led to a Golden State four-on-three that resulted in a wide-open Harrison Barnes in the corner for three. Swish. Final score: Golden State 105, Philadelphia 102.
To say there was no way it should have been that close would be the understatement of the Sixers season. Brett Brown's crew actually played a pretty decent first half, making threes, moving the ball well, causing turnovers, and keeping Golden State off the line. They still went into the break down 73-54. I've never seen an passing offense like Golden State's — they look more like an NHL '95 team than a basketball team; barely any dribbling, just moving the ball from station to station until they get a clean look at the net. (And then if it doesn't go, they always seem to have a guy at the net for the putback.) And the shooting was even deadlier — the Sixers couldn't relax for a millisecond on Curry, Barnes, or (especially) Klay Thompson, who needed less than a half-beat's space to launch for three. I always knew how great GSW were, but it was like that dude says after that impossibly stupid karate showdown scene from Matrix Reloaded — you never truly know somebody until you fight them.
Meanwhile, the Sixers learned the hard way how minimal their margin of error was on offense. They played well and got good looks, but to keep pace with the Warriors, they had to be perfect, and the Sixers just aren't good enough to be perfect. Every time Ish Smith missed a clean look at the elbow, every time Jahlil Okafor failed to convert a layup opportunity after a whistle, every time Nerlens Noel bricked a free throw, it allowed the Warriors to get that much further ahead, because they would never make those mistakes at the other end. We were fortunate to only be down eleven after two.
As the Warriors grew their lead to 24 in the third, they attempted to go into victory formation; saving their starters for the next afternoon's game in New York. It was an understandable impulse against these woeful Sixers, but with Andre Iguodala and Festus Ezeli sidelined, the Warriors' second unit wasn't quite powerful enough to hold the line, relying on way too much Ian Clark and Jason Thompson while the Sixers nibbled at their heels. By the time Steph, Klay, and company returned, they were either out of rhythm or already looking ahead to tomorrow — either the way, the Sixers jumped 'em, forcing a shocking six GSW turnovers in the final eight minutes, and managing to cut a 24-point lead to zero with one possession left.
How'd they do it? By matching the Warriors' smallball, basically. Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel shared the court for a total of zero possessions, and the Sixers' fourth-quarter lineup saw a front line of Nerlens and Robert Covington, to go with Canaan, Smith, and Hollis Thompson on the perimeter. (The Sixers also experimented with Smith and fellow point T.J. McConnell playing together for late stretches, with surprisingly effective results.) The Sixers moved the ball and moved themselves, getting good looks off cuts and lobs, and on defense, they jumped passing lanes and pressured shooters. It was an exceedingly impressive effort that saw the Fightin' Franklins in something close to the mold that Brett Brown and (particularly) assistant coach Mike D'Antoni likely picture as their ideal.
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Where does that leave Jahlil, you may wonder? Well, that's gonna be one of the biggest questions for the team this offseason, if not sooner. He played the offensive supersub in this one, and he was little short of magnificent, scoring 13 points on 6-7 shooting, including a hesitation move that proved one of his season's most Vinable moves. But he only managed one rebound and zero blocks in his 21 minutes, and it was unsurprising that when forced to go with just one of his two bigs down the stretch, Brown went with Noel and never looked back. At 20 years old, Oak is already a transcendent talent when it comes to scoring the ball, but that might not be enough to keep him playable in fourth quarters for these Sixers. It's a true conundrum for this team moving forward.
Still, Jah again seemed happy to play bench cheerleader as the Sixers managed the most improbable late-game tie of the entire NBA season. And really, the only true problem I had with the Sixers' play or gameplan all night — aside from some shoddy first-half transition defense and painful Nik Stauskas third-quarter turnovers — was their decision to double on Steph on that final possession. The defensive sequence had led to Nerelns being matched with Curry; not ideal, but not tragic either, given that Noel is one of the league's most athletic and versatile bigs. Why Ish Smith rushed up to double, leaving Draymond Green wide open underneath, will be forever beyond me. It was too late and sloppy to work a switch, and Ish did nothing to pressure Curry that Nerlens wasn't already accomplishing. At that point, it was simple tic-tac-toe for Golden State, leading to that wide-open Barnes three that I made peace with before it even left his hands. A disappointing end to an otherwise Herculean Sixers effort.
Nevertheless, it's hard to imagine we'll have many wins this season that feel better than this loss does. Considering the Warriors may very well end up the greatest regular season team in NBA history, and have absolutely leveled elite squads like Cleveland and San Antonio in their earlier matchups, this was basically the 2015-'16 Sixers' Rocky I moment; going 15 rounds with the champs and leaving them as the ones needing the explanation. They're 43-4, we're 7-41, but for one night, we were nearly equals. Keep the applause coming, Philadelphia.