Struggling Nets Send 76ers to Record

PHILADELPHIA - Brett Brown, the coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, could sense that his team's futility was reaching historic levels, but he did not quite have all the specifics.

'I know things are looming,' Brown said Wednesday afternoon as the 76ers were getting ready to play the Nets at Wells Fargo Center. 'I get what's happening out there.'

Brown was referring to the various milestones of ineptitude that mark any inglorious N.B.A. losing streak. And the 76ers went on to attain one Wednesday night as their 99-91 loss to the Nets brought their record down to 0-15, tying the franchise's worst start to a season.

The last time the 76ers started 0-15, in the 1972-73 season, they went on to finish 9-73, the league's worst 82-game record. The current team, which is continuing its startlingly comprehensive rebuilding project this season, seems capable of matching that mark.

Philadelphia has been criticized in some quarters for its apparent disregard for the league's competitive spirit. But Brown's hope is that, given the luxury of perspective, history will ultimately be kind to this 76ers team. 'Now, we understand what the argument is,' Brown said before the game. 'Did you go too far? Could you have done something different? We understand all of that.'

He added, 'I hope that people remember the whole process as one where lots of sacrifices were made in order to move the program forward.'

Despite the eventual loss, Brown had reason to be pleased late Wednesday as his team played a spirited game against the talented but perplexingly uninspired Nets. The 76ers trailed by only 1 point with 1 minute 13 seconds remaining.

The Nets came to Philadelphia having lost six of their last seven games, and the 76ers seemed to provide a needed salve - but only at first.

The Nets, who have looked disjointed through the early season, cruised around, moving the ball crisply. Brook Lopez, who has plodded through a rough opening month, seemed suddenly fleet. Lopez entered the game averaging 5.4 rebounds per game, and he grabbed 5 before halftime.

But the 76ers showed life, exploiting their advantage in athleticism.

The Nets led, 32-19, after one quarter, and they built their lead up to 20 points midway through the second. But they let it slip to 8 just seconds before halftime, and the small crowd was buzzing late in the third quarter, as the 76ers clawed to within 5 points.

Suddenly, it seemed the 76ers might actually win.

Michael Carter-Williams (4 points, on 1-for-9 shooting) made a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter, cutting the Nets' lead to 2. Nerlens Noel (6 points) then slipped behind the defense, grabbed a pass, popped up and dunked to tie the score at 72-72. On the 76ers' next play, Carter-Williams lobbed the ball to the rim, where Noel seemed to hover a moment before catching it and splashing it through the hoop, and the 76ers, improbably, were leading, 74-72.

The score was close throughout the fourth quarter, and the Nets (6-8) did not seem comfortable until Kevin Garnett sank a 19-foot jumper with 32.9 seconds remaining to extend their lead to 93-89.

The worst start in league history belongs to the Nets, who went 0-18 to begin the 2009-10 season. They did not get their first win that season until Dec. 4, and they ended it with a 12-70 record.

Lopez, who finished Wednesday's game with 19 points and 7 rebounds, is the only remaining Nets player from that season. Before the game, he laughed about those difficult years and marveled at how the tenor of the team had changed since then.

'Looking where we've built our team to now and the expectations we have now, absolutely, it's crazy to think that's quite a bit ago,' Lopez said. 'But hopefully for Sixers fans, it'll go just as fast.'

The 76ers fans on Wednesday, for a night, had much to be excited about. Tony Wroten had 18 points and 10 assists. K. J. McDaniels came off the bench to add 18 points, and he electrified the crowd with multiple powerful dunks.

The Nets, despite the much-needed win, answered few questions about their own lack of consistency this season. Most worrying, they committed 24 turnovers.

Brown was asked before the game if it was comforting or motivating to see that a team like the Nets, who have the league's highest payroll, could still struggle to join the league's upper echelon. Brown said he had not thought about things that way, and he used the question as a chance to restate his own resolve.

'Different teams have really stripped stuff down to rebuild it as opposed to buying it,' Brown said. 'Instead of making judgments, I feel strongly that we're doing what we need to do. We could easily go buy players with the flexibility financially we have. It's just not on our radar. It's just not within our philosophy. Time will tell. We believe that we're doing the right thing.'

Lokasi:

Share :