Overtime in Atlantic City: Nets Host the 76ers in the Boardwalk Classic

Give the Sixers credit for keeping it close as the Nets had them at arms length throughout most of the contest, but this is a game the 7-6 could have had. But in the end, the outcome of this game was not as important as what could be learned from it, and based on last night's action the Sixers have a lot to learn.

Jrue came out of the gate strong, attacking offensively, which was nice to see. Holiday has a knack at getting to the rim, and this skill will be extremely important to the Sixers throughout the season. Jrue's penetration will often spur the offense, leading to easy looks for Bynum in the post and open shots for the squad's newly acquired shooters, if successful. He was unable to sustain this offensive output throughout the game though, which again will be central to the Sixers' success.

On the bright side however reserve guard Maalik Wayns looked solid, showing confidence in his shot and his own ability to run the offense. he at least looked like he could eat legit NBA minutes, which is a plus since back up point guard isn't one of the Sixers' strong suits.

On the defensive end the Sixers often struggled to get stops, especially at the point guard spot as Deron Williams and CJ Watson went wherever they wanted on the floor. The team was clearly in need of a defensive anchor, and luckily they have one of the best waiting in the wing. Brook Lopez and Kris Hunphries will not be able to have the same success in the paint as they did last night with Bynum on the block.  Evan Turner largely struggled at times checking Gerald Wallace, which is troublesome and makes me wonder how he will handle defending some of the League's elite forwards, which he will be asked to do a lot of in Igoudala's absence.

It wasn't all bad however. Nick Young illustrated what he can bring to the floor, and the dude can flat out score. Like it or not he's going to be taking a lot of shots for the 7-6 this season. It's clear that he will be looked to a lot for big shots in crunch time throughout the season, and he always appears up to the challenge.

The team showed a lot of grit sticking out a game that they could have let go silently, and the new guys got some valuable crunch and overtime minutes.  So despite the loss, some positives were seen in AC, along with some issues to address. The team will only improve with the addition of Bynum into the lineup.

 

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