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Detroit Pistons vs. Philadelphia 76ers Gambling Preview & Free NBA Picks

Pistons vs 76ers NBA Handicapping

The Philly 76ers are taking the concept of “tanking” to the extreme. The Sixers are mired in a historically long losing streak, dropping 26 consecutive ballgames. [ad-4468020]

Free NBA Predictions
Date/Time: Saturday, March 29 2014, 7:30 pm EST
Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia PA
Detroit -5.5, Philadelphia +5.5
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Believe it or not, at 15-57 the Sixers aren’t the team in the NBA with the worst record – that ignominious mark would belong to the 14-58 Milwaukee Bucks. Either way, I can see fans of either team cheering when the club loses and booing when they win.

What else is there to support at this point?

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Twenty-six straight is a whole lot of games. In fact, that number ties the Cleveland Cavaliers 2010-11 record for consecutive losses. If Philly loses again to Detroit on Saturday night, it sets the all-time NBA record for consecutive Ls.

Well, at least this Sixers team is headed to the record books for something.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, though: The Detroit Pistons are also an awful basketball team. Their 26-46 record puts them out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, which is saying a lot. The Pistons lost on Wednesday to a hobbled Cleveland Cavaliers squad and are coming off a 110-78 trouncing at the hands of the Miami Heat.

Detroit rebounds well, thanks to Andre Drummond and Josh Smith, but that really is the only strength of the Boys from Motown (well, that and maybe a highlight package of dunks).
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Ultimately, the Pistons’s, um… not-goodness may not matter. The Sixers have completely waved the white flag on the 2013-14 campaign, and wins over mediocre opponents in the last tenth of the regular season do not further their aim.

Despite all the lip service paid to the media about “keeping our heads up” and “focusing on improving every game”, I believe the Sixers are not trying to win so much as letting as many fringe NBA players as possible audition in this crappy situation.

Philly’s focus is investigation: Which players on the current roster are worth keeping around and pairing with its top-three draft pick and possible free agents in 2014-15? Can it pull any treasure out of the scrap heap?

When the Sixers are playing anything that resembles reasonable basketball, it tends to be Thaddeus Young, Michael Carter-Williams or Spencer Hawes performing. Other than that trio, the team may as well throw in a collection of bench-warmers and D-League hopefuls, and see who comes out of the ringer as a productive player.

The Sixers, the Bucks, the Utah Jazz and a couple of other teams have their sights firmly set on an Andrew Wiggins, a Joel Embiid or a Jabari Parker to build their franchise around moving forward. That’s the long-term goal, and the NBA is built in such a way that it tacitly encourages this kind of thing.

So yes, Detroit is a bad team and could be exactly the type of squad that Philly can snap its losing streak against. The Sixers have to win one eventually, right?

I just wouldn’t bet on it. The Cavs of a few seasons ago should be nudged out of the record books of futility Saturday night.

Detroit 108, Philadelphia 96

By James Hayes

James has been naming every player on the EA Sports video game rosters for half a decade now, he’s finally putting his knowledge to better use writing for us here at CappersPicks.com. Your comments are welcome below…Give Us Your Take!

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