After four straight wins at the start of the season, the atmosphere was impeccable in Philadelphia. After all, the team looked like real title contenders despite missing the services of an All-Star in Paul George and a quick riser in Jared McCain. However, their stay on cloud nine seems to be over as their winning streak just snapped.
The 76ers played host to their bitter rivals in the Celtics, whom they defeated in the season opener, and lost to the visitors in a very tight affair. Philly had a chance to secure the win on the final possession of the game thanks to a pair of missed free throws by Boston, but they couldn’t even finish a shot attempt in time.
This time the basketball gods saw fit not to reward the 76ers for facing significant deficits before the final frame. The Celtics had a lead of as much as 24 against them, and while the hosts found a way to be in a position to steal a win outright, they just couldn’t get it done before the final horn. Even worse, it was their first tournament match of the season.
The 76ers are once again taking a big hit as the Celtics finally make them pay
This team’s recurring trend of allowing its opponents to build double-digit leads has been quite concerning. Philly had fallen behind by double digits in three of their first four outings, and while all of those ultimately ended in wins, that pattern just couldn’t cut it in a sustainable way.
Last night Boston finally made them pay. Despite having a stronger lineup, Philadelphia allowed its archrival to wreak havoc early. While their comeback effort is commendable, it was only a matter of time before they became victims of their own doing.
Going forward, the 76ers need to recognize that falling behind and getting off to a slow start is not a sign of a good, consistent team. Consistency will always be a trait present in true championship contenders, and until they learn to play with energy and humor from the start to the final buzzer, there will always be questions about their viability to be considered for the title.
Now, comeback wins are always exciting and have a richer narrative flair, but they can’t be the norm. The 76ers blatantly ignored their troubling pattern in recent games, and the kismet-like forces of basketball just issued a stern warning.
Hopefully this will be a lesson to them so that they don’t instill this bad habit into an actual team-wide attribute that will doom them later down the road.
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