76ers Have a Dangerous Habit That Finally Cost Them a Game

The Philadelphia 76ers have suffered their first loss against the Detroit Pistons. In a game that saw Joel Embiid sit out due to injury management, the Pistons took full advantage and preyed on a 76ers team that fell flat in the first half and did enough to maintain the lead and win 106-93.

There’s a serious problem that seems to be developing with this team. The 76ers are always off to slow starts and then relying on the third quarter to get themselves back in the game before finishing strong and coming out with a win.  The 76ers trailed in all four of their games this season, two of which were by more than 20 points. 

There’s no way a team like Philadelphia can have this happen and expect to be considered a top five team in their conference. 

It seems like this 76ers team is heavily reliant on halftime adjustments to figure out how their opponent operates so they can provide a counterattack that can get them back in the game. Now, that's good for clutch situations or when the team is in dire need of a stop, but to have to do this every game is becoming a problem. The third quarter seems to be the team's best friend as the defense intensifies and it aids in transitional scoring. Over their four games the 76ers have outscored their opponents, 124-89 in the third quarter. 

A simple block that leads to a transition basket changes the momentum of a game, and it seems to be the 76ers' elixir to cure their first half hangover. It sounds good at that moment, but this is going to be a problem if they can’t figure out how to play for a full 48 minutes. In the first half it’s always a sluggish start defensively, and it proved costly against a real opponent like the Detroit Pistons, who believe in defense first. That could be the solution for a team like Philadelphia who are heavily reliant on the offensive side.

Now, it could be said this happened because the 76ers weren’t at full strength, as VJ Edgecombe was also out with an apparent abdomen injury suffered against the Bucks.  This could be a reason if it weren’t for the fact that it’s been done since the season started. 

There needs to be a serious talk about how the 76ers can get out of this rut defensively and allow themselves to be placed in the hole they always seem to find themselves in. 

Perhaps better rebounding and paint presence could help, but that’s a story for another day.