'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a bad start after losing against the San Antonio Spurs. As of now, Philly has a win-loss record of 0-3. Even the team's head coach Doc Rivers doesn't seem too enthusiastic about their season so far.
Rivers feels like the Sixers aren't ready to be a winning team in the NBA just yet.
"I've been through these and we're not ready yet honestly, we're just not," Rivers said. "We're not ready to win yet. You can feel that and so we got a lot of work to do."
Philadelphia 76ers early losing streak
To be honest, many were expecting the Philadelphia 76ers to be top contenders in the East this season. Fans have been anticipating seeing the combo of Joel Embiid and James Harden play together. While they've shown glimpses of their abilities in their first game against the Boston Celtics, the duo seem inconsistent.
In their game against the Milwaukee Bucks last Thursday, the Sixers fell to a 88-90 defeat. Embiid couldn't do a thing in crunch time, ending up without a single point in the fourth quarter. James Harden did all the heavy lifting in that quarter by scoring 16 points.
As for their most recent 105-114 defeat against the San Antonio Spurs, it was Harden who kept missing the entire game. He may have ended the game with a double-double by scoring 12 points and 12 assists, however, he shot a disappointing 4 out of 18 field goals.
Joel Embiid, on the other hand, redeemed himself with 40 points and 13 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to give his team the win.
Why are the Sixers struggling to win?
If we're going to analyze the Philadelphia 76ers' games based on statistics, they should be fine. However, there's more to basketball than just stats. There are many reasons why the Sixers can't seem to get their rhythm earlier on in the season.
According to NBC Sports, another major reason is because they lack defense. It doesn't matter if your team is an offensively powerful squad. Those points won't matter if the opposing side can easily get the points they lost back.
Doc Rivers had some things to say about what the Sixers are currently lacking after falling to the Spurs.
“Defensively, we were slow, we were behind,” Rivers said. “Offensively, we just cannot get pace. And we’re always up against the clock offensively, which we shouldn’t be with what we have.
"And then defensively, right now — and I said it after the Boston game — even when we make a run, we can’t get a stop. We have a lot of work to do.”
The Sixers will face the Indiana Pacers in their next game on Monday, October 24.
