Heard in the Cheap Seats

Last time these two teams clashed, I speculated that the Sixers loss to the San Antonio Spurs to close out a tough roadtrip was not a harbinger of things to come.  I could not have been more wrong.

Immediately following that heartbreaking loss, the Philly boys went on to rattle off seven straight wins.  Perhaps my lack of confidence in the team triggered the run of success?  If so, the Sixers might be in for another nice run because I remain skeptical.

A lot has changed since the last game for both teams.  Perhaps most obvious, the Sixers have added their heralded offseason acquisition back to the lineup.  The early returns on Elton Brand’s addition to the lineup are incomplete.  In his first game back, he seemed to find a rhythm in the game, locate the open spots on the floor and rebound effectively.  In his next appearance, he looked out of sorts.  Which Brand will show up tonight?

For some time, I have rejected the theory that Elton Brand is a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.  But I am drawing ever so close to converting my belief.  Tonight, in a matchup against a team with a strong front line, Brand will undoubtedly need to play a larger role if the Sixers are to come away victorious.  Not to mention, the team needs to get back to hitting the outside shot.  At his been my belief that this sudden improvement in outside shooting ability was nothing more than a temporary fluke bound for a statistical correction.  Plain and simple: the Sixers are comprised of a team of lousy shooters.  Let’s hope I am wrong but I get the feeling that these guys are cooling off.

The Rockets on the other hand, are struggling to find their groove with the return of Ron Artest and Tracy McGrady to the regular rotation.  In fact, the team struggled so mightily that Rafer Alston questioned the character of the team.  When Skip-to-my-Lou is doubting the character of a team there are some serious issues that need to be addressed.  In addition to McGrady and Artest, Yao Ming is also expected back in the lineup this evening.  In the past, Dalembert has done a solid job containing Ming.  He will need to continue that trend tonight to come away with a victory.  But none of the aforementioned names is the most important addition to the Rockets team since the last encounter.  Instead, that honor goes to Shane Battier.  Battier brings the ability to stretch a defense with his long-range touch and can drive opposing players batty with his defensive intensity.  The way the Sixers have been defending the three, Battier could spell trouble.

That being said, the three keys to a Sixer victory tonight are:

Defend the perimeter: Somewhere in the midst of the break just prior to Brand’s return, the Sixers forgot how to defend the perimeter.  There has been an astonishing lack of ball pressure and defensive rotation.  It nearly cost them against the Knicks and it did cost them against the Hornets.  The Sixers need to defend the three tonight in order to have a shot.

Limit Turnovers: The Sixers have started a disturbing trend of turning the ball over at inopportune moments.  Against a team like the Rockets, the Sixers need to maximize every offensive position and take care of the basketball.

Get out and run: I know this seems painstakingly obvious, but I think it is even more crucial against the Rockets.  The Sixers are more athletic than this team and can beat them down the floor on any occasion.  The Sixers should look to run at every opportunity-even on a made shot when possible.  Pushing the pace of this game will limit the effectiveness of a hobbled Ming and McGrady.

This is a tough matchup for the Sixers and they will have to be clicking on all cylinders to come away with a W.  I hope I am wrong.