Harris to speak; What to watch in 76ers-Spurs
Brett Brown faces mentor Gregg Popovich as the Sixers host San Antonio tonight at the Wells Fargo Center.
Before the 76ers take the court against the almighty San Antonio Spurs, owner Josh Harris is scheduled to talk to the media. Perhaps it will be just a state of the team address, or maybe there is some major shakeup in the organization. He will talk at 4:30.
As to the game, the Spurs alredy own a win over the Sixers this season as they took a 92-83 decision last month. In that game, the Sixers pulled within four with just over three minutes to go in the game, but were unable to score another point down the stretch. It has become a theme for most of the season as the 1-20 Sixers have led nine times in the fourth quarter of
In the first meeting between the two teams San Antonio rested Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili. Who, if anyone, they will rest tonight won't be known until Gregg Popovich speaks to the media at 5:30.
Here's some things to look for as the Sixers attempt to get their second win of the season.
1. The play of Tony Wroten. As maddening as the 6-6 guard can be at times with his turnovers and dizzying style of play, he is one of the few players on this roster who has the ability to break down a defender on a consistent basis and create his own shot. With so many leads being blown by the Sixers in the fourth quarter, that is a nice luxury for coach Brett Brown to have at his disposal. He is on a minutes limitation, so he probably will play 20 minutes at the most.
2. The play of and response to Jahlil Okafor. The rookie center is supposed to be back tonight after serving a two-game, club mandated suspension to his off-the-court antics of late. Okafor did miss practice on Sunday due to an upper respiratory infection, so he is listed as questionable tonight. The last time he played against Tim Duncan, he showed himself well and said he learned a lot playing against the future Hall of Famer. Of course, there is no guarantee Duncan will be playing tonight as coach Gregg Popovich does like to rest his stars against the Sixers.
3. The offense of the Spurs. Brett Brown brought with him from San Antonio many things, but the most he talks about is "good to great." That is the theme of the offense that has been so good for the Spurs for so long. If a player has a good shot, the thinking is to look for another pass for someone who has a great one. Their ball movement is one of the most fun things to watch in the NBA. Whether they have all their players or are playing mostly backups, it doesn't matter, the ball still moves and the shots usually go from good to great.