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| 2013-2014 NBA Regular Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
@ |  |
| February 1, 2014 | ||
| Wells Fargo Center | ||
| 7:30 PM | ||
| CSN Philly/3M's/Marc Zumoff, Malik Rose, and Molly Sullivan | ||
| Probable Starters | ||
| Michael Carter-Williams | PG | Mike Conley |
| James Anderson | SG | Courtney Lee |
| Hollis Thompson | SF | Tayshawn Prince |
| Thaddeus Young | PF | Zach Randolph |
| Henry Sims | C | Marc Gasol |
| 2013/14 Advanced Stats | ||
| 102.5 (1) | Pace | 92.2 (30) |
| 95.9 (30) | ORtg | 103.0 (18) |
| 107.3 (27) | DRtg | 102.4 (0) |
| Game Officials | ||
| Michael Levin | ||
| Hannah Pavorsky | ||
| Sam Hinkie | ||
Tonight's impending matchup on the Wells Fargo Center court, is a literal clash of opposites. The Sixers rank No. 1 in the NBA in pace and the Grizzlies rank dead last in the league. There's no right or wrong way to pace the game of basketball, it's simply a matter of preference. Brett Brown has constantly stated he believes increasing the tempo will cause better teams to get tired and ultimately take poor shots when the offense fails to produce off tired legs. The Grizzlies, formerly under Lionel Hollins and now led by Dave Joerger, preach "Grit 'N Grind," slowing the game down with tenacious defense and wearing their opponents out by forcing them to use the entire shot clock on each offensive possession.
The Sixers will run tonight, but once the Grizzlies stop that initial open-court attack, the half-court offense is going to look bad. Rebecca Black's Friday bad.
I said Wednesday night the Sixers won't win another game this season. I'm certainly not backing down from that claim tonight with a battle-tested Grizzlies team surging at the right time. Not to mention the fact that Memphis' size should demolish whatever lesser Sixers big man is in front of them.
Good luck with Mike Conley, too, MC Dubs.