No one will discredit the effort the Sixers showed tonight in their loss. However, maybe the personnel could have been different.
With 6:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, Danny Green subbed in the game for Matisse Thybulle. Soon after, Philadelphia switched to a zone defense in an attempt to slow down the red hot Utah Jazz offense. The Sixers have used this 2-3, match-up zone before late in games – most noticeably in their double-digit comeback win against Indiana.
The difference though was in the past, the Sixers had Simmons and Thybulle at the top of the zone. Tonight, with Green in, the team struggled while using the zone. Utah played with four players on the perimeter to try to break the zone, and Green struggled with guarding that. Green also had issues on the offensive end, only shooting 1-6 in the contest.
Doc Rivers eventually put Thybulle back in for Green with 1:47 left in the game, but by then it was too late. Green has been a great leader for Philadelphia in his short time with the team. When it comes to play though, tonight showed that the Sixers might be better off using Thybulle for crunch time zone defense rather than Green.
