Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs @ Philadelphia 76ers

San Antonio Spurs @ Philadelphia 76ers

Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
December 1, 2014, 6:00 PM Spurs Time
TV: FSSW - RADIO: 1200 AM WOAI

The city of Philadelphia has already firmly established its place in American history, with cracked bells and Nicolas Cage movies that celebrate the nation's storied bygone days.

This year's Sixers seem poised to elevate themselves into the lofty ranks of Ben Franklin and Ben Gates, with a season that could be remembered for all the wrong reasons. The Tankadelphia jokes go back to last year, of course, when Sam Hinkie infamously set his ship's course directly towards the black, jagged rocks of the 2014 NBA lottery.

Not satisfied with the haul from that draft, Philadelphia is yet again in tank mode. The golden number is 18 -- as in, 18 straight losses to start the season. The Sixers are currently at 0-16, with a game at Minnesota the only thing standing between them and the record if they lose to San Antonio tonight. While it would set a new precedent for beginning the season, it wouldn't even be the biggest losing streak this group of guys has strung together. That feat was achieved last year, when they dropped 26 in a row.

I want to say "Poor Brett Brown", but the former Spurs assistant surely bought into this scheme when he joined the team two summers ago. I'm not saying he had an exchange exactly like the Joker and Harvey Dent, but the whole idea of things "going to plan" certainly seems to ring true when it comes to the current NBA climate.

San Antonio is coming off a Sunday win in Boston in which the team rallied from a halftime deficit to decimate the young Celtics through better execution and a surprising amount of aggressiveness at the rim. The bench was emptied in the fourth quarter, with signs of Austin Daye and rook Kyle Anderson, and it's very possible they'll get more minutes tonight as long as San Antonio has a stronger first half this time around.

The most interesting player on the Sixers side might be K.J. McDaniels, a second-round pick from the 2014 draft who, instead of signing for three years, inked a one-year deal which could see him getting paid a lot more money as soon as this summer. He's an extremely athletic player who's already put up a flurry of highlights and has a place in the league.

Athleticism is something Brett Brown has plenty to throw at his former team. Leading scorer Tony Wroten will be out with a wrist sprain, but 2013-14 Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams can make things complicated by using his length and size to get into the passing lanes and push things in transition, while Nerlens Noel, who sat out his rookie year with an injury, is still learning what to do with his immense potential.

Meanwhile the Spurs seem to be rounding into form. They're winners of seven straight and making good use of this lighter schedule by giving heavy minutes to their role players.

Getting Marco Belinelli back up to speed could be a priority tonight, while we could expect another heavy dose of Aron Baynes, who had one of his best games as a Spur against Boston, putting up 13 points and five boards in 19 minutes yesterday. He scored well off the pick and roll, getting the ball and making quick moves to the hoop. Yet, what he might most be remembered for is knocking down his first career three-pointer as the shot clock was set to expire.

The Spurs and Sixers clearly have contrasting plans for this season which, at least for tonight, could see both come out as winners in their own way. I'm saying Spurs by 15, but you could easily double, or triple, that figure.

Update:  Tony Parker (ribs) and Tim Duncan (rest) will be sitting out tonight.

	vs
Philadephia 76ers (0-16)		San Antonio Spurs (12-4)
December 1, 2014
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6:00 PM CST
TV: FSSW Radio: WOAI 1200AM
Starters
Michael Carter-Williams	PG	Tony Parker
K.J. McDaniels	SG	Danny Green
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute	SF	Kawhi Leonard
Nerlens Noel	PF	Boris Diaw
Henry Sims	C	Tim Duncan

Game prediction: Spurs by 15.

For the Sixers' perspective, visit Liberty Ballers.

As always Tony must dominate Fisher, and you can get your San Antonio Spurs tickets from Daniel Farias with Spurs Sports & Entertainment: Tel: 210-444-5607 | dfarias@attcenter.com