If the Sixers can come within 4 pts. of upsetting the best team in the League without their best player in the final preseason game, they're good enough to take the Atlantic division.
This wasn't a regular season game, but both teams wanted to finish up with a win. The Spurs had Duncan, Parker, Ginobli, Finley and Nesto. The Sixers had Igoudala, Salmons, Webber, Korver and Hunter.
I still don't know anything about Hunter, but he had a great line last night: 9-15 and 6-8 from the line, 24 pts. 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Webber had a strong game too, 21 and 12.
In fact, the Sixers outplayed the Spurs according to the box score. The only reason they lost was that they shot .414 from the floor. They took 13 more shots than the Spurs and shot 6 more free throws. The Sixers also outrebounded the Spurs 41-37.
We still haven't seen all five players on the floor. We still haven't seen Iverson and Webber in a game this season. It won't be Stockton and Malone, but Iverson has demonstrated that he can run the point and get 10 assists a game, if the players around him get open.
Not only will Igoudala have a good year, but Salmons will now get back-up minutes and the Sixers will have a better back court than most teams in the league. Nailon is an improvement over Marc Jackson from what I've seen and James Thomas seems to have good potential. If Hunter can play at the level he did last night or even close to it, all of this adds up to significant improvement over last year. Of course they need Dalembert back healthy and Iverson playing to see how good they can really be.
They have two stars in Iverson and Webber. It doesn't take a whole lot more to be one of the elite teams in the league. Igoudala has star potential, and Dalembert is competitive with any Center in the league except Shaq.
New Jersey's success is dependent on Jason Kidd. If he can stay healthy he can make them win. But I don't think they have the Sixers depth, and I'm not all that impressed with Jefferson, or anyone else besides Carter and Kidd. The Nets don't have a decent center, or a a lot of strength at guard.
I think the Nets will be lucky to finish ahead of the Sixers this season.
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