(Same Old)2 for Sixers

Would someone remind the 76ers that the All-Star break is over? After attending last night's game, I was left muttering the same thing I have muttered after nearly every Sixers loss this year: they really could have won that game. Offensive rebounds by Chandler and West killed us. Sammy sat on the bench after a slew of turnovers and missed shots while Reggie and M16 struggled to box out. And if you haven't heard enough about it, once again it was the three-point game that made a big difference in the game.

New Orleans: 10-16 (62.5%)
Philadelphia: 4-16 (25.0%)

Chris Paul is amazingly quick and has great court vision and this allowed him to find the open shooter once he had penetrated into the paint. Not only were these players open, but they were actually good 3-point shooters. When good shooters get open shots, it's hard to miss. The 76ers need to do a better job of anticipating the pass and getting some pressure on open shooters.

Behind the Line: The 76ers Story
This "open shot" mentality was what I had assumed the 76ers' shooters might benefit from with Elton Brand commanding double-teams, but without that presence, the 76ers are struggling to shoot from outside. Hell, the 76ers missed open threes anyway, so would it really make a difference?

Lou Williams went 0-4 and continues to regress from a tremendous season a year ago. He has no legs to his jump shot and lacks the super-heroesque arms of Andre Iguodala, hence why he hits the front rim constantly. Even when he uses his quickness to get a step on his man, he often pulls up for that midrange jumper which is so on/off.

Willie Green (1-6) could not find twine, either, but he was just missing open shots. Along with the struggling Royal Ivey (3-15 from 3 since the break), these shooters are not getting the job done and those few extra points could really have made a difference in a few close losses.

So while everyone begged for a low-post scoring presence to engage the half court offense just a year ago, we now need to upgrade our guards/shooters to help take the next step as a basketball team. Willie Green, though an all-around solid player, is not a good enough shooter/scorer to be the starting 2 guard. Lou Williams showed he can be a scorer/shooter, but he needs to grow as a player before we hand him that role. The Sixers must look to the draft to improve their range as a team, and then maybe these types of losses can turn into wins.