Philadelphia 76ers Schedule Breakdown and Record Predictions for March
Despite having the league's second-worst record, the Philadelphia 76ers continue to be one of the NBA's most intriguing teams as they make their way into March.
General manager Sam Hinkie used the month of February and its trade deadline to shake up the Sixers' future, and it couldn't have been much more exciting. Deciding to part with Philly's human-highlight-reel, K.J. McDaniels, was one thing, but moving Michael Carter-Williams was something else.
The second-year Syracuse product was averaging 15.0 points, 7.4 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game. His numbers were slightly down from his Rookie of the Year campaign, and Hinkie showed that he didn't believe Carter-Williams was Philadelphia's point guard of the future.
The general manager might have showed his genius through it all, too.
If the goal was to tank before the season began, then the same rules must be applying now. The Sixers managed to acquire a number of high-value draft picks and good young prospects, but they also became a worse team.
We're about to see it on full display during all of March.
Here's a look at Philadelphia's schedule breakdown, and what kind of record it should be looking at.
Week 1: March 1
1 of 7
March 1 vs. Indiana Pacers (Away)
*Important Game: Indiana Pacers
The Sixers are coming into the month of March with a potential six-game losing streak. They've given up at least 103 points in each of those contests and have only broken the century mark once.
Starting March off with the Pacers should give some kind of indication as to how the rest of the month will go.
Indiana's depth is unique. Five of its players are averaging at least 10 points per game, with nobody scoring more than 13.5. Solomon Hill is also the only member of the Pacers who averages at least 30 minutes. It goes to show how evenly distributed the playing time is among the rest of the roster.
Philadelphia looks unprepared when you look at the Pacers' depth.
The Sixers are still in transition after a ridiculously active deadline and won't be sharp enough to win the first game of the month. It takes some time to adapt to a relatively new roster, and the team will feel Carter-Williams' departure until the end of the year.
Games like this one will only expose his absence.
Predicted Record: 0-1
Week 2: March 2 to March 8
2 of 7
March 2 vs. Toronto Raptors (Home)
March 4 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Away)
March 6 vs. Utah Jazz (Home)
March 7 vs. Atlanta Hawks (Home)
*Important Game: Utah Jazz
Losing all four of this week's games would put the Sixers on an 11-game losing streak if the previous games go as expected.
Philadelphia is going to be playing its fifth game in seven days once the Hawks come to town. The competition doesn't mean as much at that point since there is usually a drop-off in energy level and an increase in fatigue.
Toronto is too talented for the Sixers to have a realistic shot at winning. Follow that up with Russell Westbrook, who is averaging 30.4 points, 10.2 assist and 8.7 rebounds in February, and Philly's success looks even bleaker.
The Jazz will end up being the easiest opponent of the week, yet it likely won't amount to much. Moving Enes Kanter to the Thunder has done wonders for Utah and its spacing. The team is 2-1 since the trade deadline, with wins against the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs.
Both the Sixers and Jazz should end up being perennial playoff teams within the next three or four years. Each has a vast amount of young talent with the potential to be special at some point. Be on the lookout for how they match up with each other from both an age and skill perspective.
And we can't forget about the Hawks, can we? They are the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference with a 45-12 record.
Predicted Record: 0-4
Week 3: March 9 to March 15
3 of 7
March 11 vs. Chicago Bulls (Home)
March 13 vs. Sacramento Kings (Home)
March 14 vs. Brooklyn Nets (Home)
*Important Game: Brooklyn Nets
The Sixers will get three days of rest before they play three games in four days during the third week of March. The positive here is that each game will be at home.
The negative is that Philadelphia won't win any of them.
Chicago and Sacramento offer the same kind of challenges. Each has an elite big man in Pau Gasol and DeMarcus Cousins, respectively, while nobody on the Sixers matches up with them. Both teams also have some of the top coaches in the league.
Tom Thibodeau and George Karl won't have to do much in terms of preparing for Philly and its weapons since there isn't much there. That will allow each to worry about his own team's X's and O's, which always makes things easier on the coach.
This will be the Sixers' last meeting with Brooklyn after going 1-2 in the three prior contests. We'll start to see a trend here as Philadelphia begins playing against teams that are fighting for a playoff spot. The 23-32 Nets are currently in position to be the No. 8 seed, but the landscape could be completely different once the middle of March rolls around.
It'll be interesting to see if Philly can spoil a few of its opponents' games when they matter most.
Predicted Record: 0-3
Week 4: March 16 to March 22
4 of 7
March 16 vs. Boston Celtics (Away)
March 18 vs. Detroit Pistons(Home)
March 20 vs. New York Knicks (Home)
March 22 vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Away)
*Important Game: New York Knicks
The interesting part about Week 4 is that each team is beatable. There's clearly no way that the Sixers go undefeated during this stretch of games, but there is a chance for Philadelphia to steal one from any of the four if it catches them on the right night.
Boston is in a situation similar to Philly's. It is an organization full of draft picks and young talent. The difference between the two is that the Celtics are only one game behind the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. They are a team with a mission, and the Sixers will likely help Boston attain its goal of reaching the postseason.
Jump to Detroit and you see the same scenario: The Pistons are only one game back from the last playoff spot. Combine some kind of motive with the addition of Reggie Jackson, and the Pistons begin to look more and more difficult.
Each of those contests will be fun to watch, but the game of the week has to involve the Knicks.
New York has the NBA's worst record and two fewer wins than the Sixers. If Philadelphia struggles at home against a broken and battered Knicks squad, then it could be one of thedeciding moments of who will have the best odds at the draft lottery. The Sixers could wind up getting their only win of the month in this one, but picking a winner is like deciding between heads or tails.
Ending the week against the Lakers in Los Angeles will also carry some importance. The slide for Week 6 will have more on the Lakers since it will be the second time they play each other in the month of March.
Predicted Record: 1-3
Week 5: March 23 to March 29
5 of 7
March 24 vs. Sacramento Kings (Away)
March 25 vs. Denver Nuggets (Away)
March 27 vs. Los Angeles Clippers (Home)
March 29 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (Away)
*Important Game: Denver Nuggets
Playing the Kings, Clippers and Cavaliers all in the same week is brutal. Each team has significantly more talent across the board and will make for relatively easy losses.
Competing against the likes of LeBron James, Chris Paul and DeMarcus Cousins makes for good television, but that's really it. It's always fun to see your team battle the NBA's best, though, since there are opportunities to compare Philly's young players to the absolute elite.
With that said, contests and superstar players aren't why Week 5 is so interesting.
This week strictly concerns JaVale McGee and his return to Denver. His career with the Nuggets ended with him on the bench and getting little-to-no playing time before he was traded to the Sixers. It would be more than fun to see him have a good showing against his former organization.
Especially since he appears to be happier in Philadelphia.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote an article on how McGee wants to stay with the Sixers. Here's what the 27-year-old center had to say about wanting to be on a team and helping out with Philly's young big men:
"I don't want to get bought out. That's not a positive thing. When you think about it, you don't get all of your money when you get bought out.
So it doesn't make sense why someone would want to get bought out unless they are older - older and they want to go to a contender or something. I'm not that old. I just want to play basketball.
When I was with the Wizards, I think it was my sophomore year, we won like 19 games, so I've been in the same situation. I've just definitely got to get these young guys' heads into it where they stay positive, keep playing hard, just look for wins and [learn] how to win.
"
It's great to hear McGee talk about wanting to mentor players like Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel. There's a level of maturity surrounding a statement along those lines, and it'll be nice to see if he can actually make it happen.
It would also be a lot of fun to see McGee have a huge night on Denver's floor—the same one he spent most of the year watching from the sideline.
Predicted Record: 0-4
Week 6: March 30 to March 31
6 of 7
March 30 vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Home)
*Important Game: Los Angeles Lakers
It's weird to talk about this game having major draft implications, but there's a good chance of it happening.
Trading Carter-Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks meant the Sixers get the Lakers' pick if it falls outside of the top five this year. (It becomes a top-three protected pick in next year's draft if it does, though).
Los Angeles currently has the fourth-worst record in the league, which means it is right on the bubble as to where the pick will land. Losing to the Lakers would benefit the Sixers by adding another loss to the column, as well as giving Los Angeles a boost in its win total. Both could work in Philadelphia's favor if it's trying to end up with two selections within the first six or seven spots in the lottery.
Neither team has played well all year, but expect the Lakers to take care of business because they are simply better. It will be a beautiful thing if they do.
Predicted Record: 0-1
The Brutal Month Is Finally Finished
7 of 7
March will go down as Philadelphia's worst month of the 2014-15 season in terms of losses.
One of the side effects—and perhaps intentional ones—of the Sixers' trading away Carter-Williams and McDaniels is that they are now an even worse team than when they started the season. Hinkie has shown the rest of the NBA and Philadelphia's fanbase just how committed he is to making sure the Sixers end up at the bottom of the standings. Trading for two more first-round picks further proves how he fully believes in building through the draft.
Nobody was safe if the right offer came along, and it just so happened that two enticing ones were put on the table.
Philadelphia's general manager signed off on both.
The Sixers' record in March will be far from good. However, there is a bright spot: This could be Philly's last month of sheer pain in the loss column for quite some time. April is abbreviated, and the team will surely be better next season.
The Sixers have to be, right?
Final March Prediction: 1-16
All statistics in this article are accurate as of games played through February 26.
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